Divert gun registry cash to fish and game?

If the Harper government finally succeeds in scrapping the long-gun registry, what should Ottawa do with the millions of dollars that will be saved each year? Spend it on fish and wildlife conservation and habitat restoration across Canada. So urges the Outdoor Caucus Association of Canada, an advisory group to parliament’s all-party Outdoors Caucus.

The call to divert spending to fish and game comes as private member’s Bill C-391, designed to do away with the registry, continues to wend its way through parliament. Introduced by Conservative MP Candace Hoeppner, the bill has passed second reading and must now go through the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security before returning to the House for third and final reading.

According to OCAC chair Phil Morlock, since the reviled registry only impacts sportsmen and women, it stands to reason that any money saved by shutting it down should go to wildlife conservation.

“The federal government does not even promote fishing or hunting tourism in spite of the thousands of jobs which are supported by these outdoor heritage activities coast to coast to coast,” says Morlock. “Evidently, federal financial resources are a problem for fish and wildlife related initiatives and we believe we have found a comprehensive solution.”

Makes sense, but then again, we are talking about Ottawa here. At any rate, it’s an idea well worth considering.