Mr. Speaker, the third Saturday in September is National Hunting, Trapping and Fishing Heritage Day across Canada, but the NDP-Liberal government has turned its back on hunters and anglers. Hunting, trapping and fishing are synonymous with Canadian identity and heritage. Canada is blessed to have vast amounts of public land, forests, rivers, lakes and oceans.
As the shadow minister for hunting, angling and conservation, I am proud to represent the interests of the millions of Canadians who hunt, fish and conserve our wild spaces, but after nine years of the NDP-Liberal government, hunters and anglers have had enough. As lawful gun owners, hunters are tired of being demonized and blamed by the government for the violent crime wave it has caused. Anglers are frustrated by the restrictions and closures that make no sense, and grassroots and local conservation organizations are ignored or left out in the cold in favour of global agendas that deny Canadians access to their own wild spaces.
Conservatives know that hunters and anglers are the original and best conservationists. A Conservative government will always listen to them, respect them and include them.