2025 Federal Election

Canada is home to three million anglers, more one million hunters and 2.4 million licensed firearms owners. We are asking candidates in the federal election to commit to a national strategy to promote outdoor recreation and conservation.  

Directing a meaningful portion of the GST charged on hunting and fishing gear would ensure our heritage is protected and habitat for wildlife is protected. 

When chronic wasting disease spreads unchecked, it can affect up to 85 per cent of the deer in a herd. CWD is 100 per cent fatal in deer, elk, and moose. 

The federal government must commit to an immediate prohibition of the movement of these species across provincial and territorial boundaries. 

We need to phase out commercial farming of these species to reduce the risk of massive transmission events that could spread the disease even faster. 

Canada intends to conserve 30 per cent of our land and water area by 2030. We are concerned that in the process Canadians could lose access to public lands and wild places. 

The federal government must commit to legislation preserving public access to public resources and places for all Canadians who consider hiking, camping, hunting and fishing an important part of their culture and heritage. 

The government must make decisions about harvesting fish and wildlife based on science, not optics, to ensure their continued abundance. 

Invasive mussels can clog and foul municipal water and hydroelectric equipment costing us millions of dollars? Their sharp shells can also make beaches unusable and when they die in the millions the stench is unbearable. Parasites and invasive fish species are also a threat to Canada’s native species, especially salmonids. 

The federal government must commit to permanent, sufficient funding for education, early detection, and rapid response to invasive threats. 

Canada is home to 2.4 million licensed firearms owners, with a safety record that is the envy of the world. 

Licensed owners are less likely to commit crimes with firearms than other Canadians and millions of Canadians participate in hunting and shooting sports, where we excel at the highest levels. 

The federal government must commit to evidence-based firearms regulation. 

 It makes no sense to reduce sentences for crimes committed with guns while placing unnecessary restrictions on licensed owners. 

Our elected leaders should focus their attention on smugglers, organized crime and gangs – the people who actually commit crimes with firearms. 

In addition to the NFHC’s Election Priorities, the B.C. Wildlife Federation has concerns about Pacific fisheries management. Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) has a long history of conflicts, failure to conserve fish, failure to support the public fishery, and science is often usurped by politics. At the very least, the next federal government must reorganize DFO to focus on the following:

• Prioritize conservation of wild fish and properly fund salmon habitat restoration. That means topping up the Watershed Security Fund with $600 million, accelerating Species at Risk assessments, and getting ocean-based salmon farms out of our waters.
• Ensure that Canadians have access to public fisheries. That means using good data and science-based decision making. Restricting recreational fisheries while ignoring an exploding pinniped population that consumes tens of millions of salmon a month is nonsensical. Eventually, we have to address the real problem.
• DFO scientists must be shielded from political interference. Scientific reports are routinely altered to suit a political narrative and our wild fisheries are paying a steep price.