All Party Agreement on the Outdoors
September 01, 2009
While Parliament is seen by many as a partisan place, much of the work that takes place is done in non-partisan fashion by Members of Parliament coming together at Committees and informal groups to work for the common good of the country.One such group is the Outdoors Caucus, which has about 80 members. The mission of the caucus is “to entrench in law fishing, hunting, trapping and shooting sports as acceptable, traditional, environmentally- sustainable outdoor heritage activities with a safety credo and a conservation ethic as our highest priorities.”
Members of the caucus are working together across party lines to ensure that Canadians continue to have reasonable access to federally managed public lands and waters to enjoy traditional outdoor heritage activities. They also want to increase awareness of the economic importance of outdoor heritage activities to Canada's economy, and to support the growth of outdoor activities, heritage businesses and jobs.
They feel it is important to preserve and promote the traditional Canadian outdoor heritage activities and the environmental stewardship ethic upon which they are based, and to support multiple sustainable uses and management of public lands, waters, fish, wildlife and habitat, based on sound science and professional natural resource tenets, for the benefit of all Canadians.
Another goal of the caucus is to dispel myths, identify obstacles to recruitment of those who wish to participate, and eliminate unnecessary barriers to participation and wise use, to ensure sustainability and enjoyment of our traditional Canadian outdoor heritage activities.
Parliamentarians working together to preserve our natural heritage and to encourage the enjoyment of our great ideas seems like a good idea to me. What do you think?