Mr. Speaker, I will be splitting my time with the member for Yorkton—Melville, a member of Parliament whom I consider a good friend, a mentor and whom I deeply respect for his work in preserving and retaining our hunting, angling and firearms traditions.
I am proud to stand today in the House, speaking in support of Bill C-42, the common sense firearms licensing act.
I first want to comment on the comments made by the member for Malpeque when he sneered at people who own firearms.
I am chair of the Conservative hunting and angling caucus. The mandate of our caucus is to preserve and protect a way of life. That includes hunting and angling, and is a strong measure of conservation. Hunting and angling groups are Canada's first and most effective conservation groups in the world.
I can see the members across laughing, but the waterfowl hunting community in North America created the—