Madam Speaker, I will talk about the species at risk but with a couple of specific examples. I happen to know about them because they are very topical in my riding of Renfrew--Nipissing--Pembroke.
The first pertains to moose tags and potential species at risk that we have not too far from Ottawa. Area moose hunters will have a great deal of difficulty bagging a trophy animal this coming fall as available moose tags for cow and bull moose will drop to 10 and 17 respectively. That is down from 218. In wildlife management units 48, 55A, 55B and 57, a total of 218 tags were awarded last year. That total will be reduced to 27. In the WMU 48 area from Pembroke along the Ottawa River to Mattawa and west of a portion of Algonquin Park, there will be six bull and three cow tags available. Again, they are down significantly.
The problem we have is that while we speculate that the cow population is holding steady, the bull population is declining. While a reduction in the number of tags will help rejuvenate the moose population, the underlying cause in the greatly reduced number of moose in the area is federal legislation that has nothing to do with the proposed species at risk.
We are concerned that the species at risk legislation has nothing to do with conservation efforts and that until it addresses other areas of federal legislation and encompasses them in the proposed species at risk act, it is not ready to go through. As the members opposite have often said, it is important not to rush it through but to get it right. Here is a case of it being rushed through.
Another species supposedly at risk in the riding of Renfrew--Nipissing--Pembroke is the Algonquin wolf, supposedly related to the red wolf. The township of South Algonquin recently received information indicating a proposed 30 month moratorium on hunting and trapping of wolves in the 39 townships surrounding Algonquin Park and noted the regulatory impact statement of the EBR posting. The township of South Algonquin opposes the moratorium as it will have an immediate impact on natural resources such as deer, moose and beaver. Here we have another compounding effect on the availability of moose. Also, it will have a devastating impact in the future should the wolf population increase at the same pace that it has in the past 10 to 15 years.
The businesses in the area depend on the big hunts to provide revenue during the period when they would otherwise be closed. Businesses within the township hunt wolves to provide recreational opportunities and employment in an area that relies greatly on tourism. Should the wolves increase in numbers it could affect the population of big game animals and thus affect the entire economy. Residents within the township disagree with the myth that the wolf population is declining. The wolf population has increased dramatically over the past 10 to 15 years even though trappers in the area have tried to manage the resource to prevent the wolves from eliminating the beaver population.
The facts are that the deer population died off in the late 1950s and early 1960s due to the severe winters, not the wolf population. This in turn caused the wolf population to decline afterward since it depended on the deer as a major food source. Trapping records from the mid-1960s to the mid-1980s would probably show that there were very few wolves harvested compared to the period from approximately 1985 to 2000. The same trapping records would show that the beaver population increased from the early 1970s to the early 1990s and decreased in the 1990s, especially in the township of South Algonquin and neighbouring townships.
These facts definitely indicate the drastic effect wolves have had on the beaver population, consequently affecting the trappers and their incomes. Up until approximately 1960, the park rangers in Algonquin Park tried every possible means to manage or control the wolf population. Hunting, trapping and, from the stories told in the local area, also poison were used to try to reduce the wolf population, without success. The population remained stable until the deer died off.
Stories written in park publications also indicate that there is not a shortage of wolves within the park. Consequently, why would this moratorium be necessary? The moratorium was brought in because one person studying wolves over a series of years claimed that they were an endangered species. There should be closed seasons, especially during the period when animals are having their young and carrying out their parenting duties, from early spring until early fall. We agree to a closed season from April 1 to October 31, but we do not understand why there would be proposed legislation for different hunting and trapping seasons. My party agrees that the season for hunting and trapping wolves should be open from November 1 until March 31, but again this trails down to the idea of it being a species at risk.
Trapping is a renewable resource and one of the oldest industries in the province. It is also something the province can boast about. However, should trappers not be allowed to manage this resource in neighbouring townships surrounding Algonquin Park, the effects will be an immediate decline in the beaver population and a financial burden to trappers.
Since this 30 month moratorium has been implemented we have already seen the effects, the increase in the wolf population, which is combined with the cancellation of the spring bear hunt. That too has already fostered an increase in the population and nuisance bear complaints within the province this past year. This will cause serious and probably permanent damage to our local businesses and economy. Prior to a final decision on the moratorium, it would have been appreciated if the recommendations were heard by the scientific community. It would also have been appreciated if the proposal to categorize the Algonquin wolf as an endangered species had been looked at more closely before the reflex of implementing the moratorium. We do not agree with the geographical township area being closed year round to hunting and trapping as it will single out and affect local hunters, especially trappers' ability to manage their traplines.
I appreciate the opportunity to speak on the specific issue of the Algonquin wolf. With this being started, and in conjunction with the notion of endangered species without scientific evidence, we have already had many businesses go under.
The other problem in relation to the Algonquin red wolf is the migration path. The migration path goes from Algonquin Park all the way to the maritimes. If this legislation goes through and the Algonquin wolf is designated as an endangered species, even though all the evidence points to the fact it is not, many homes, farms and livelihoods will be classified as habitat and restrictions will be put on people's land if they are not expropriated with unclear compensation altogether.
The legislation will impact on the population of other animals, such as the deer, as already mentioned, the overpopulation of the beaver, which has a horrendous effect on the lumber industry that is vital to the riding of Renfrew--Nipissing--Pembroke, and the moose, which has already had significant declines in population altogether.
In conclusion I emphatically request that the bill be halted at this time and looked at further to ensure that endangered species are classified as such under scientific confirmation.