January 10, 2017
Hon. Catherine McKenna
Minister of Environment & Climate Change
200 Sacré -Coeur Boulevard Gatineau, Quebec K1A 0H3
Dear Minister McKenna,
Re: Follow up to my letter of August 23, 2016
I wrote to you last August on behalf of the Canadian Sportfishing Industry Association to request a copy of the final report from the 2004-05 review and risk assessment of the use patterns of lead sinkers and jigs by your Ministry. However, to date, we have not received the report nor have we received a response to our letter.
The Canadian Sportfishing Industry Association and its members participated in the Environment Canada 2004-05 review which now is being replicated by your Ministry. While our Association has been willing to work with your Ministry, we think it’s fair to question your Ministry’s willingness to work with the fishing industry.
We also note that some of the unsubstantiated claims from a widely criticized and seriously flawed 2003 Canadian Wildlife Service publication still appear on your Ministry’s website and, in fact, they were mentioned in the MOECC RFP as the basis for the current studies. (On that note, I have again enclosed a National Post article that is as timely today as it was when Peter Shawn Taylor wrote it in 2005.) Also enclosed is our original letter.
May we please hear from you on this?
Yours sincerely,
Kim Rhodes
President
The Canadian Sportfishing Industry Association represents the manufacturers, distributors, retailers and sales agencies which serve the 8 million Canadians who fish as an outdoor heritage activity. According to Federal government and industry figures, recreational fishing generates almost $9 billion dollars for the Canadian economy.
The longstanding practice of the Canadian Sportfishing Industry Association has been to engage with all levels of government, regardless of political affiliation, in an open and fair discussion for the continued sustainable use of our abundant fish and wildlife. To that end we held a seat on the federal Hunting and Angling Advisory Panel (HAAP) and we are an active supporter of the non-partisan Outdoor Caucus Association of Canada (OCAC) which acts as a liaison between the outdoor industry and the all-party Parliamentary Outdoor Caucus.
cc: Rt. Honourable Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister
Yvonne Jones, M.P. / Outdoor Caucus Co-Chair
Bob Zimmer, M.P. / Outdoor Caucus Co-Chair
Interested Parties
