From: CILA / ICAL National Office, [EMAIL PROTECTED] CILA / ICALáááááááááááááá Defending Canada's Heritage ---------------------------------------------- Harris to entrench right to hunt New law will protect Ontario's `good heritage' By Tonda MacCharles - Toronto Star Ottawa Bureau OTTAWA - The right to hunt will be enshrined in Ontario law this fall, Ontario Premier Mike Harris says. Harris said hunting and fishing are a part of the province's heritage and deserve recognition as such. ``There are some who believe that because they don't like hunting that they have the right to say nobody can hunt,'' Harris told reporters. ``We are making a statement that our heritage of hunting is a good heritage,'' the Premier said following a speech to several hundred Canadian and American hunters here for a hunting conference. ``It's something that's important, it plays an important role in conservation and it's something that's not negotiable,'' he said. He dismissed arguments against spending public money to support hunting. ``We provide money to the ballet. We provide money to the opera. And yet, for the actual majority of Canadians, it's not their first choice for recreation or for culture.'' Harris' remarks appeared to assuage the concerns of many hunters at the showcase symposium, being held for the first time in Canada. Widely criticized for cancelling Ontario's spring bear hunt, the Premier was emphatic in his support for the sport and was applauded. ``My government believes that sustainable and ethical hunting has an important place in our society,'' Harris told the audience. It was just what Peter Williams, of Emo, Ont. near Fort Francis, wanted to hear. Williams is an outfitter who says hunting and fishing ought to be entrenched in the Canadian constitution. Hunting ``is very threatened by the urbanization in North America, particularly in southern Ontario,'' said Williams. ``If we don't have some protection, it could be removed from us.'' Harris has been in the crossfire between pro- and anti-hunting groups over the event being held in Canada. On Wednesday, anti-hunt protesters slammed two cream pies - made with soy, not animal products - on to a target that featured a photo of Harris. The 50 demonstrators from the Peaceful Parks Coalition - some wearing bear and deer costumes - waved signs and shouted ``hunters go home.'' There were no protests yesterday. One of the key concerns at the symposium is how to improve hunting's battered public image. ``We have to work on that,'' said Alex Smith, of Ducks Unlimited Canada, who said he welcomed Harris' remarks. Natural Resources Minister John Snobelen told the audience they can no longer afford to ignore the fact that 95 per cent of the population doesn't hunt, and often, doesn't understand hunting's role in conservation. `Sustainable and ethical hunting has important place' Later, Snobelen said the new Hunting and Fishing Act will ensure hunting practices are ethical and humane, and may address how new technology, such as radio controls on dogs and improved weaponry, makes hunting easier. Harris took aim at Bill C-68, the federal gun-control law. ``C-68 is a boondoggle. It's a waste of hundreds of millions of dollars that's doing nothing to stop illegal guns, crime, handguns - all those areas we think the federal government should be doing more on. ``We're in favour of gun control. We just think Bill C-68 is targeting the wrong audience. It's a misfocussed effort.'' Cybershooters website: http://www.cybershooters.org List admin: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ___________________________________________________________ T O P I C A The Email You Want. http://www.topica.com/t/16 Newsletters, Tips and Discussions on Your Favorite Topics
