What do I mean by the national park as a threat? Well, for one thing, the proposal is a very splintered proposal. It also includes a lot of urban area.
The big concern that the southern interior cattlemen have is that British Columbia is unique, in that the ranching industry depends on crown grazing. Our cattle, while they stay home during the late fall, winter, and early spring, go to crown grazing owned by the provincial government for the summer months, for which we pay a grazing fee. As well, we have to make all the improvements and live up to the forest practices we sign on to.
If that part goes ahead, our concern is that livestock grazing will be extinguished within the park boundary. What happens then to those ranchers? Without your crown grazing, your ranch goes sideways. You're very dependent on that. What happens to those ranchers who no longer have crown grazing? How on earth will they ever be compensated? What precedent will that set?
In addition to that, let's say you have this park. It's going to impact my friends the fruit growers, or the grape growers, or any other agriculture persons, because now you're going to be saving these animals within the park. How are they going to fence out any of the wildlife that's there?
In addition to that, loss of any ranches within the southern interior impacts all the machinery dealerships, the feedlots, and any agri-related industries whatsoever.
That's where our concerns lie.