OFAH Supports Prime Minister’s Call for Creation of National Panel on Fish and Wildlife

For Immediate Release

OFAH Supports Prime Minister’s Call for Creation of National Panel on Fish and Wildlife

Conservation would be well served by advisory body at federal level

The Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters (OFAH), one of the largest nonprofit, charitable conservation-based organizations in Canada, is pleased to hear Prime Minister Stephen Harper commit to the creation of a new national panel to advise the federal government on fish, wildlife and conservation issues.

“The OFAH has been pushing for the creation of a fish and wildlife advisory panel or heritage committee at the federal level for several years, and the Prime Minister’s announcement is welcome news,” said Greg Farrant, OFAH Manager, Government Affairs & Policy. “Through Environment Canada (Canadian Wildlife Service) and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO), the federal government plays a key role in the protection and enhancement of migratory birds and fisheries across Canada, despite the fact that fish and wildlife resources are traditionally a provincial responsibility. We will be well served by a separate body to provide advice on these and other conservation issues that impact the outdoor community.”

The Prime Minister’s announcement of an advisory panel on fish and wildlife resources would provide a sounding board for conservation groups across the country and a focus for activities at the federal level, similar to what has occurred in the U.S. with the Obama administration’s 2010 announcement of a Wildlife and Hunting Heritage Conservation Council. That group, with representation by key conservation based hunting and fishing organizations, provides advice to the federal Department of the Interior and the White House on recreational hunting and shooting sports activities, and associated wildlife and habitat conservation.

“Fishing, hunting and trapping are heritage activities, upon which this country was founded. Anglers and hunters were among the first to call for conservation of our vital natural resources, to demand game laws to protect wildlife, and to help create what has become known as the North American model for wildlife conservation. That model, dating back to the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries under Theodore Roosevelt and Wilfred Laurier, serves as the underpinning of our conservation ethic to this day, and the government’s recognition that the outdoor community serves a core role as conservationists is appreciated,” added Farrant.

With over 100,000 members, subscribers and supporters, and 670 member clubs, the OFAH is the province’s largest nonprofit, fish and wildlife conservation-based organization, and the VOICE of anglers and hunters. For more information, visit www.ofah.org

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