Parliamentary Outdoor Caucus Co-Chairs Bob Zimmer, Member of Parliament for Prince George-Peace River-Northern Rockies, and Ken McDonald, Member of Parliament for Avalon, have sent a letter to the Honorable Tom Vilsack, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, expressing concerns with the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service’s decision to ban the importation of hunter-harvested wild game birds from Canada into the United States and requesting that this ban be rescinded.
“This decision will have a severe negative economic impact on tourism, guide and outfitter industries across Canada that are just beginning to recover from the devastating impacts of COVID border restrictions,” the letter states. “Not only that, but the announcement was made late on a Friday prior to the Labour Day weekend when many American hunters were already hunting waterfowl in Canada. This has led to questions being raised about the rationale behind this policy change decision.”
Parliamentary Outdoor Caucus members have also heard from stakeholders who are concerned about the lack of consultation done by the United States. MP Zimmer and MP McDonald expressed their concerns about the absence of scientific evidence to support this ban.
“It is for these reasons that we are writing today to respectfully ask that you reconsider this decision and rescind this ban as quickly as possible,” the letter concludes.
The mission of the all-party Parliamentary Outdoor Caucus is to entrench in law fishing, hunting, trapping and shooting sports as acceptable, traditional, environmentally-sustainable outdoor heritage activities, keeping safety and conservation in mind.
