Mr. Speaker, l am very pleased to rise today and recognize the Fur Institute of Canada's day on the Hill.
The Fur Institute was created in 1983 by Canada's wildlife ministers and serves as Canada's national voice for the fur trade. The Fur Institute is internationally renowned for its expertise in humane trapping and is home to the Seals and Sealing Network, which promotes Canadian seal products at home and abroad. Representing a broad cross-section of the fur trade, from trapping and runway to farm gates and showrooms, this organization represents the interests of over 35,000 Canadian trappers, fur farmers, seal harvesters, artisans and furriers, as well as governments and indigenous nations all involved in the fur trade.
Trapping is an essential part of wildlife management, livestock protection, infrastructure maintenance and species recovery. In short, trappers live in harmony with the land, as opposed to living on it.
Today, there are over 20 delegates on Parliament Hill who are attending the Fur Institute of Canada's Hill day. I am excited to meet them, and I encourage all my colleagues to do the same.