A Campaign to Protect the Rights of Licensed Anglers and Hunters
By Rob Olson, Manitoba Wildlife Federation
If you are a reader of Hooked, I bet I can safely assume that you are passionate about the outdoors. Fishing is probably so important to you, that it would be hard to imagine not being allowed access to your favorite lakes and rivers anymore. I suspect many of you also hunt. If you are like me, the places you fish and hunt are probably so special to you, that the memories of going to those lakes, forests and marshes define who you are. If you close your eyes, you can probably imagine what your places looks like, probably even remember the smells and sounds. Those memories probably include the most important people in your life. It is in your soul and for many it is the reason we choose to live and work in this wonderful province.
Now imagine all of that being taken away.
As you read this, you’re fishing and hunting rights are under threat in ways that we could never have imagined in our lives. This marks the fiftieth year for me as a fisherman and hunter. I have been in the fish and wildlife research and management world for over 30 years. I’ve done many jobs in the wildlife world ranging from duck researcher in my early days to Deputy Minister in the Manitoba government. Heck, I was even a regular contributor to Hooked back in the day. Like Johnny Cash, “I’ve been everywhere man.” And I’ve never seen threats coming at us like I do right now. Which is why I am going to put off retirement for a bit longer.
Governments across Canada are planning to hand over control of vast areas of Crown Land to Indigenous communities, under the guise of reconciliation, using a narrow view of the relevant laws. It’s happening all around you today, and I’m willing to wager most anglers and hunters aren’t aware of it…..yet. With the possible exception of B.C., nowhere is this happening more than Manitoba. As Manitobans, we are on the frontlines of a struggle that will define your future as an outdoors-person.
Let’s get something straight immediately: we are not against indigenous people. The vast majority of us want indigenous communities to be successful, to advance, and to prosper like all Manitobans. We all hope for real reconciliation that provides a bright, healthy future for all of us. What we are absolutely against, and what we cannot allow, is governments to have one-sided process regarding the management of fish and wildlife resources, speaking really only to indigenous interests. We are for inclusive approaches that bring all interests to the table, respecting indigenous rights and licensed hunters and anglers too. However, on both the federal side and provincially in Manitoba, governments are increasingly and alarmingly taking policy steps to minimize the involvement of non-Indigenous interests in the management of land, water, fisheries and wildlife, with a focus on ceding authority and priority to Indigenous interests.
Manitoba’s Alarming Approach to Reconciliation
Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakinak (MKO) is a political advocacy organization that represents the interests of northern First Nations communities in Treaty areas 4, 5, 6 and 10 and is led by Chiefs from those communities. One of MKO’s stated purposes is to achieve “the legal recognition and extension of First Nations’ jurisdiction and self-governing authority over our traditional lands”.
MKO’s traditional lands comprise the northern 2/3 of Manitoba which is predominantly crown land. MKO members have called for a ban on hunting and fishing in northern Manitoba by non-Indigenous people, citing their Indigenous member’s rights as “top priority” when it comes to resource allocation.
Chief David Monias of Pimicikimak First Nation (Cross Lake) said in the Winnipeg Free Press (July 12), “we stated to Manitoba by letter that they’re not to issue any licenses or permits for hunting or fishing in our territory.” The MKO vision is in part to achieve: “the legal recognition and extension of First Nations’ jurisdiction and self-governing authority over our traditional lands” (www.mkonation.com)
It appears MKO believes that “top priority” denotes exclusive use of natural resources in their region and their interpretation is an effort to claim control of resource management in the north. We believe governments can recognize indigenous rights without excluding other Manitobans from access to their treasured public lands and waters.
On June 17, 2024 MKO representatives met with the Manitoba Premier and several Ministers, demanding a ban on the moose hunting “draw” seasons for licensed hunters in their traditional lands, and for the Province’s Conservation Officers to cease enforcement towards their Indigenous community members. By June 20, just three days later, the provincial big game draw was halted with notices sent to all licensed hunters. On July 12, the Province announced a 75% reduction in moose draw licenses in 4 GHAs in the Thompson and Grand Rapids region.
NO SCIENTIFIC BASIS FOR REDUCTION
This decision was rapid and executed without moose population data, without harvest data by Indigenous hunters, and without a moose management plan, solely in response to demands by MKO. There was no engagement or official communications with licensed hunters, outfitters, northern non-Indigenous residents, local Chambers of Commerce or northern municipal elected officials. The actions taken do not include an overall management plan for moose in the region that ensures the harvest of all hunters is sustainable. The viability of the moose is paramount. These actions are alarming and add to growing fears that Manitoba is not committed to effective reconciliation that involves all Manitobans.
The second bombshell landed on August 9, when moose outfitters were informed by government that they would be having their foreign resident tags cut by 50%, in all areas, for all operators. As a resident hunter you might think, “that’s fair, if there’s not enough moose to go around, they should be cut.” Most outfitters who take foreign residents operate in areas where neither indigenous or resident hunters pursue moose. This is another knee jerk change, with no planning exercise, and no meaningful engagement with outfitters prior to the change. Why cut remote operators if they aren’t hurting anybody? What about the economy, especially in the north? Manitoba’s economy needs every tourism dollar it can get. Have you seen our roads and highways lately?
On August 12, on behalf of licensed hunters, the MWF took legal action by filing in Manitoba for a Judicial Review of the Province’s decision to cut resident moose tags without due process or justification https://mwf.mb.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/MWFAdvocacyMooseAugust13.pdf.
The Federal scene is no more encouraging than the latest developments in Manitoba regarding your future access to land and water to hunt and fish. The Federal government is proposing 9 Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas (IPCAs) for Manitoba. The most advanced (and largest in Canada) is the Seal River Watershed, encompassing some 50,000 km2, 8% of Manitoba. An IPCA is a form of national park and essentially cedes management authority of the land to indigenous communities. In B.C., after establishment, hunting access to non-indigenous people was halted. We’ll provide more information on IPCAs in future articles in Hooked.
To be crystal clear, we understand it is the right of indigenous communities to advocate for their interests. Our issue is less with them, and more with governments that do not include all interests in a fair way. Recent actions in Manitoba and federally actually hurt reconciliation and drive us all apart.
Calling all angler and hunters!
We need your help. Knowledge is power so sign up for the MWF enewsletter https://mwf.mb.ca/media/enews-signup to get informed and stay up to date. Please ask all of your hunting and angling friends and family to do the same.
Join the MWF as a Supporting Member or through one of our many Affiliate Clubs https://mwfshop.ca/collections. There is strength in numbers. If you hunt or fish in Manitoba, please join up and be counted. For the cost of a box of ammunition ($40), you can be part of the solution. If you are an outfitter, join the MLOA and get involved https://mloa.com/membership/become-a-member. The world is run by those that show up!
Donate to the MWF. We need immediate financial support to sustain our campaign and to cover our legal costs. This is the fight of our lives, so we all need to be in this to win. Any size of donation helps. Tax deductible receipts will be issued for donations of $20 or more and donations can remain anonymous. Every membership sold or contribution made will help us influence the government to reconsider their recent decisions, avoid future bad decisions, and to uphold their responsibility to safeguard hunting and angling rights for ALL Manitobans.
If you want to find out more about these issues first hand come and join the MWF and on their town hall meetings being held across the province.
Here are the next three scheduled.
The Manitoba Wildlife Federation has released it’s October dates and location and MLOA will be represented at all three. We strongly urge you to attend if possible as the feedback from the Northern run was incredible.
Oct 9th 7:00 Beausejour – Brokenhead River Community Center 320 Veterans Ln
Oct 16th 7:00 Russell – Russell Leisure Centre 529 Main St North
Oct 17th 7:00 Swan River – Veterans Community Hall 119 6th Ave North