Canadian Heritage committee  Thank you. Good afternoon. My name is Tony Rodgers. I am the executive director of the Nova Scotia Federation of Anglers and Hunters. My federation of 32 hunting, trapping, and angling clubs has been in existence since 1930, and we are very proud of our outdoor heritage. We are

Canadian Heritage committee  Yes, we certainly support any changes that may come out. I think it's the day that's important, recognizing the day as opposed to when exactly it is or what specific date it is--as long as we get to the fact that there is such a day.

Canadian Heritage committee  I think it's a different type of fishing that we're talking about, to start off with, because a commercial fishery.... But let's get back to the feelings, to the first part of your question. I think the thing that happens to me, and I will probably speak for 99% of the people w

Canadian Heritage committee  All of us walking down the street coming here were saying that we should be in the woods hunting pheasants today—all of us. So yes, you're right on. The commercial aspect of losing the fishery on the east coast, as Mr. Simms also knows, has been devastating. It has hurt a lot of

Canadian Heritage committee  With respect to this legislation, the bill was taken to our board of directors, and it was discussed quite thoroughly. Everybody understood it and what it meant. There is some symbolism there; there's no question about that. But by the same token, it's something we can also wrap

Environment committee  Good morning and thank you.

Environment committee  Good morning, Mr. Chairman, and members of the Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development. I'm nursing a bit of a cold so you'll excuse me if I have to go to my water from time to time. Thank you for this opportunity to speak to you about one of my favourite

Environment committee  Yes, Mr. Sopuck. Thank you very much for the question. The hunting and angling advisory panel was announced by the Prime Minister a few years ago, to bring groups like mine and groups of a national nature such as Ducks Unlimited and Delta Waterfowl foundation together to discuss

Environment committee  Just a little bit, Bob.... The element that we're looking at is that in the United States there were two funds that were developed to tax hunters and anglers on the equipment that they purchased. It was a small tax levied, for instance, on the purchase of a boat or a fishing rod

Environment committee  Thank you for the question. I'm going to work backwards. Our federation has a strong position with respect to science when it comes to wildlife management. We don't want any decisions made politically unless they're backed up by science. We've had that problem in this province

Environment committee  There is licensing under the Migratory Birds Convention Act for people who want to hunt ducks, geese, and upland birds, such as Wilson's snipe and others. Yes, you pay a fee, and there is a habitat stamp attached to that. That voluntary eight dollars goes to Wildlife Habitat Cana

Environment committee  Sir, that's a question over my pay grade. I'm sorry. I can't answer that one for you. I know that these licences are sold primarily at the post office, so the post office would turn in both sides of the money, the eight dollars for the licence and the eight dollars for the habita

Environment committee  In the same fashion, sir, under the migratory bird act, this is a three-country act, actually, which includes Mexico, the United States, and Canada. The regulations are dealt with on that international basis in order to determine populations of animals, bag limits, and things of

Environment committee  I'll jump in on this one. I believe that at this point the federal government is playing a robust role with respect to hunting and trapping. On the trapping scene, they have been involved with the international standards for traps, as Charlie LeBlanc mentioned earlier, and I thin

Environment committee  We certainly are in Nova Scotia. The province has spent a lot of time, a lot of money, and a lot of energy on hunter education programs to ensure that our young folks coming into the program learn the values around hunting and fishing. Part of that training is a whole course on e