News Release
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE The Hon. Greg Rickford, MP-Kenora
KENORA, ONTARIO (March 9, 2015) – The Honourable Greg Rickford, Conservative Member of Parliament for Kenora, today released the following statement regarding the Mulcair NDP’s demands for Parliament to “refocus its priorities” from studying “the contributions of hunters and trappers to wildlife management and conservation” and “the economic contribution of licensed hunting and trapping in Canada”.
“The rights and contributions of law abiding firearms owners and hunters in Northern Ontario and across Canada remain an important priority for the Harper Government. I am disappointed, but not surprised, to read about members of the federal NDP criticizing Parliament for discussing the priorities of licensed hunters and trappers. The Mulcair NDP’s criticism of Parliament for discussing the rights of licensed hunters and trappers is not only unnecessary, but reinforces their negligence in representing the priorities of Northern Ontario.”
A statement released today by NDP Deputy Leader Megan Leslie criticizes the responsible Parliamentary Committee for, in their words, “(…) welcome(ing) the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development, in order to study “licensed hunting and trapping in Canada”. Today’s comments follow NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair’s comments last December, promising to bring back the wasteful, ineffective long-gun registry.
“Once again, NDP Parliamentarians from Northern Ontario are saying one thing in Ottawa, and something different to their constituents. Meanwhile, our government will continue representing the priorities of our constituents, which include hunting and environmental conservation. Indeed, the contributions of hunters and trappers to wildlife management and conservation and the role of scientific research in wildlife management will be part of this important study opposed by the NDP.”
The Harper Conservatives are the first government in Canadian history to reduce greenhouse gas emissions on a net basis. In 2012, Canada’s per capita greenhouse gas emissions were historically low at 20.1 tonnes per person – about 12 per cent lower than 2005. And since 2005, Canadian greenhouse gas emissions have decreased by 5.1 percent while the economy has grown by 10.6 per cent. Canada benefits from one of the cleanest electricity mixes in the world, with 65 percent generated from renewable sources — the highest level in the G7.
Our government’s latest support for law abiding hunters includes the introduction of the Common Sense Firearms Act. This proposed legislation would:
- Merge the Possession Only License (POL) and the Possession and Acquisition License (PAL);
- Restrict the ability of Chief Firearms Officers to make arbitrary decisions;
- Create a grace period at the end of the five-year licence to stop people from immediately becoming criminalized for paperwork errors;
- End needless paperwork around Authorizations to Transport by making them a condition of a license;
- Require mandatory firearms safety courses for first-time gun owners; and
- Strengthen firearms prohibitions for those who are convicted of domestic violence offences.
For more information on the Common Sense Firearms Act, please visit: http://news.gc.ca/web/article-en.do?nid=870079
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