Twelve fishing and hunting organizations from across Canada have joined forces for a new initiative called the National Fishing and Hunting Collaborative (NFHC).
The NFHC is a group of non-partisan, non-profit fishing and hunting organizations that will collaborate to provide national leadership on important conservation issues and a voice for more than 375,000 Canadians from coast to coast to coast, the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters (OFAH) — an affiliate organization — announced Sept. 4.
The key objectives of the effort will be public and political advocacy to ensure all Canadians recognize and better understand the heritage value and modern relevance of fishing, hunting, and trapping.
Stronger national presence
Other NFHC members include wildlife federations in British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Northwest Territories, Prince Edward Island, Saskatchewan, and Quebec; fish and game associations in the Alberta and Yukon; and the Nova Scotia Federation of Anglers & Hunters.
“The affiliate organizations of the NFHC have a long history of working together and have enjoyed some successes over the years, but we felt this collaborative could demonstrate greater national unity and a stronger presence on core fishing, hunting, and trapping issues,” OFAH Executive Director Angelo Lombardo stated.
To kick-start this advocacy, the NFHC launched a pre-election campaign to engage the major federal political parties on issues important to the outdoors community. Canada votes on or before Oct. 21.
Priorities identified
The NFHC has identified promotion of fishing, hunting, and trapping, firearms policy, chronic wasting disease, conservation funding, and aquatic invasive species as the ‘National 5’ top priorities for the next federal government.
“By working together, we are making it more difficult for political parties and the next federal government to ignore or dismiss our issues,” Lombardo stated. “We have created one of the largest stakeholder groups in the nation, representing millions of Canadians and billions of dollars for the economy. We feel it’s high time our interests get the recognition they deserve on Parliament Hill.”
For more information about the NFHC, and to view political party responses to the top priorities as they become available, click here.
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