QUESTION PERIOD — Environment and Climate Change
Parks Canada
May 30, 2024
Leader, in March, Senator Martin and I asked you a series of questions related to a deer cull on Sidney Island, British Columbia. This incompetent Trudeau government paid foreign marksmen to fly around in helicopters and shoot invasive deer with restricted firearms, all the while taking firearms away from Canadian hunters. The cost to taxpayers was about $800,000. However, documents provided to the Canadian Taxpayers Federation through access to information show this program has a total budget of about $12 million.
Leader, the cull cost Canadians about $10,000 per deer last fall. How much does that work out to per deer now? Is there anyone in the Trudeau government with common sense who will put a stop to this waste?
Thank you for the question. My understanding is that the decision was made to proceed this way out of the necessity to deal with the issue in a timely fashion, and the government acted accordingly.
Even this truly incompetent Trudeau government should have figured out how much this will cost taxpayers per deer. After all, the documents show they’re spending $1.5 million on analyses and studies related to this lunacy.
Leader, local hunters would do this work at no cost, for the meat to feed their families. Why is this hunt costing taxpayers anything?
I’m sure the Government of Canada along with provincial and territorial governments will explore ways to work with local hunting communities to see if there is a better way to do things in the future.
Related to the question our leader asked, the Vancouver Sun reported that residents of Sidney Island organized their own deer hunt in October and November of 2023. They killed 54 of the correct species of fallow deer, and it cost taxpayers nothing. In contrast, 20% of the deer killed by foreign sharpshooters last fall were the wrong species of deer.
We’ve also since learned that the helicopter rental cost Canadians over $67,000, and taxpayers are also on the hook for $84,000 just for insurance.
Leader, in March, I asked you why local B.C. hunters weren’t asked to participate, but there was no answer. Why is your government still ignoring local B.C. hunters who would do this work at no cost to taxpayers?
Thank you for the question. Again, there is no question that things can always be done differently, and I look forward to fruitful discussions between various levels of government and local communities to see where that may lead us.
Leader, documents provided to the Canadian Taxpayers Federation show that the Trudeau government is spending over $137,000 from taxpayers just on firearms certification for international workers. Leader, how is this possible? Will you commit to providing us with the detailed breakdown of that specific spending?
Thank you for the question. This government is proud of the measures it has taken to ensure that firearm use is properly regulated in a responsible way. It will continue to follow that path, despite views to the contrary from the opposition.
