Thank you, Chair.
Thank you to our witnesses who are here today. It is a very important discussion that we're having.
I'll ask questions to Mr. Shockey. I too am a hunter, but I have produced zero television shows. I have not had near the success in the hunting world that our guest and witness here, Mr. Shockey, has had. I would be the individual who watches Mr. Shockey's shows.
I want to thank you for coming here and testifying today with respect to the impact that it has.
I have been a guide in the north. I have been a conservation officer and a national park warden. I have been issued firearms as a matter of my duties in that capacity.
Mr. Shockey, you did allude to this in your opening statement. Rogue River Outfitters is located in the Yukon. For their conservation officers, the Liberal government of the Yukon implemented the AR-10. An AR-10 is a .308-calibre semi-automatic rifle. That's for their conservation officers. They did this, actually, after the order in council in May of 2020, which moved the AR-10 from the non-restricted to the prohibited category. The Yukon Liberal government at the time said that this was the best option available for the protection of their conservation officers in dealing with human-wildlife conflict and interactions, and to protect the general public in a situation of dangerous wildlife.
This is my question to you, Mr. Shockey, given the fact that you've hired numerous indigenous guides as part of your operation and you've worked with folks in those communities. Is the life of a conservation officer more or less on par with the life of a hunter, guide or anybody else working in these dangerous situations? Should they have access to the same type of stopping power that a conservation officer does, since conservation officers can't be everywhere?