Hello. Thank you very much for inviting me and Delta Waterfowl—I'm also representing the Canadian Outdoors Network—to address you on this important issue.
My name is Dr. Robert Owen Bailey. I have an honours degree in agriculture, a master's degree in renewable resources, and a Ph.D. in ecology. I've been active in the conservation field for over 40 years. I am also an angler and a hunter, and I was a trapper when I was on the farm as a kid.
I know that you probably don't know much about Delta Waterfowl. It's one of the continent's oldest conservation organizations. Probably the single greatest attribute has been the education of students at the master's and Ph.D. levels in wildlife and habitat conservation. That's what we have done since 1938, when Aldo Leopold, who is the recognized father of the conservation movement in North America, established the research program in 1938 at Delta Waterfowl.
Since then, we have educated or helped in the education of over 400 individuals from both Canada and the United States. They've produced over 700 scientific peer-reviewed publications in scientific journals. They and that legacy are part of the scientific foundation for managing fish and wildlife in North America, in part, as my colleagues have mentioned, contributing to the very successful North American model of wildlife management.
Just as an aside, when you think about wildlife around the world and how much difficulty wildlife is in around the world, and then you look at Canada, we're truly blessed with still-natural populations, free-roving large herds of different kinds of animals, like the caribou in the north--things that are there not by accident but because people care, and hunters and aboriginal people and others care. They are there also because of the scientific management that the federal government, the provincial governments, and many conservation organizations undertake. It's very much a combined effort.
In addition to Delta Waterfowl, I'm presently also the chair and national coordinator of the Canadian Outdoors Network. The network was initiated in 2007. It's a coalition of 28 of the major conservation, hunting, fishing, trapping, and shooting sports organizations across Canada. Our collective organizations, including my colleagues' organizations here, include 500,000 members and supporters in every province and one territory. Through our own media, I think we are the voice and the leaders of Canada's 10 million hunters, anglers, trappers, and shooting sports enthusiasts.
Network organizations are also the strength and the backbone of fish and wildlife conservation volunteerism in Canada, and certainly the financial supporters of conservation, in partnership with governments and others.
In terms of notes to share with you on the bill, I'm going to read the statement because these two paragraphs have been endorsed by the 28 organizations, so I want to be clear. This is what we offer collectively to you.
We believe Bill C-465 is an opportunity for Canada to recognize and support our hunting, trapping, and fishing heritage, which was a major part of the foundation of Canada as a nation and continues as an important lifestyle choice and culture for many Canadians. Many Canadians connect with nature, as my colleagues mentioned, through hunting, fishing, and trapping. These enthusiasts are the most critical and vocal proponents of our fish and wildlife heritage, as I'm sure many of you know.
Millions of Canadians derive their livelihood in part or fully through their interest in fish and wildlife and in conserving wild places. Indeed, much of the work done by organizations in the outdoor network is to restore and enhance habitat, and to be a catalyst and an advocate for fish, wildlife, and our natural environment.
In considering BillC-465 as a celebration of a unique aspect of Canadian heritage, it is important to understand the role of lifestyle choice in the development of our Canadian society, including many cultures. Cultures grow and are handed down as a heritage. Values and traditions are recognized and passed on. The diversity and strength of cultures within any society depends upon freedom and tolerance. Cultures thrive where citizens are free to make legitimate lifestyle choices, even where the activities and views supported by the culture are not always shared by all members of society. Over time, this culture is captured and validated as a heritage.
Perhaps the single greatest social attribute of Canadian heritage is to encourage tolerance and promote harmony among different peoples, while preserving their culture, and encouraging it to realize its full potential as part of the Canadian mosaic. We believe Bill C-465 will be a critical step forward for preserving Canada's outdoor heritage and the many social, economic, and environmental benefits and opportunities that it supports across Canada.
This presentation has been signed by: the Alberta Fish and Game Association; the Alberta Outdoor Coalition; the B.C. Wildlife Federation; the B.C. Wildlife Federation Political Action Alliance; the Canadian Institute for Legislative Action; Canadian Section, The Wildlife Society; the Canadian Shooting Sports Association; the Canadian Sporting Arms and Ammunition Association; Delta Waterfowl Foundation; the Fédération québécoise des chasseurs et pêcheurs; the Fur Institute of Canada; Friends of Fur; the Hunting for Tomorrow Foundation; Long Point Waterfowl; the Manitoba Wildlife Federation; the National Wild Turkey Federation; the New Brunswick Wildlife Federation; the Newfoundland and Labrador Wildlife Federation; the Northwestern Ontario Sportsmen's Alliance; the Nova Scotia Federation Of Anglers and Hunters; the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters; the Prince Edward Island Trappers Association; the Prince Edward Island Wildlife Federation; the Ruffed Grouse Society; the Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation; the Yukon Fish and Game Association; and Wildlife Habitat Canada.
Thank you very much.