I would hate to be considered "emotional" when speaking of issues fundamental to the very survival of my country; the fact remains that a discussion of foreigners hunting in Canada under ANY circumstances is part of the on-going debate in this country concerning the best use of OUR natural resouces. This includes both wildlife and the non-renewable energy sources such as oil and gas that scumbag Mulroney gave the American corporations the "right" to purchase at the same price that we Canadians must pay.

While the issue is, in the narrow sense, access to private land by American and other foreign hunters, the real issue as several posters have pointed out, is one of fairness. At present, there is a growing sentiment among Canadians, hunters and non-hunters alike, to further restrict or even end ALL alien hunting in this country. Any form of lobbying in the USA, or here, by American hunters, will be seen as an attempt to grab more Canadian resources and will further alienate Canadians.

I feel strongly that both the G.W. Bush gov't. and the Ronald Reagan gov't. have not treated Canada fairly in trade issues and I can understand why many Canadian landowners are not willing to allow Americans access to their property due to their feelings on this issue. To advocate compensation ignores the feelings that these people have and is simply the old Yankee attitude that there is a price for everything and they have the right to buy anything they want at a price they set; this is not the case here in Canada and thus non-resident hunting is going to pass into history.This is unfortunate from the standpoint of the American hunter who wishes to hunt in Canada, but, there is not much he can do about it.

Americans need to realize that Canadians hold very different values from theirs and that offering compensation to a landowner will probably insult him; this is not about money in that sense, it is about what we Canadians feel is fair. Since Kerry appears to be a "wannabe" JFK without the charisma or the intellect, I expect that Geo. Bush will win the forthcoming election, thus, things will remain much the same for another four years. By this time, I think that the whole issue of foreign hunting in Canada will quite probably be resolved and that such activities will have been outlawed as the economic benefit to the community at large is miniscule.

PeterPan....I appreciate your love for this country, I wish more people had your guts and integrity.

What I see here is frustration by alot of Canadians that are being hurt finacially by the inactivity or unwillingness by the Americans to solve this beef and softwood lumber problem, or maybe by Canadians that aren't willing to do things differently either.

I don't see this as an attack towards American's but a way of saying "Look at us here.... You are hurting us.... Lets get this cleared up now and lets get on with life". Most Canadians just want to get along with others and don't realy see a difference between themselves and Americans. We're freinds and neighbors so lets just fix these problems without attacking each other, because there is no reason to let things like this continue.
Cam

I was suprised to hear that hunters give cattle BSE! Heck, for years and years all it seems I hear about is Canadian farmers/ranchers dealing with some sort of disease problems in their livestock. Yea, the USDA is anal about that sort of thing, but if you don't like it, sell your cattle elsewhere...or clean up your herds.
As far as closing access...it is just going to be more lost revenue for Canada. I know that ranchers in my part of the world are loving every minute of this whole deal, and laughing all the way to the bank.
MG

Mikey. Courts have determined that natives can hunt on unoccupied crown land atwill. Further more they can hunt private land if they have permission without regards to seasons or limits. Same goes with fishing. At one time this meant hunt and fish for food but now some native groups are declarring they had a tradition of trade and are pushing for the rights to what we would call "commercial" harvesting.

Canada Says 'No Beef, No Hunting'
The Canadian/U.S. BSE-based beef border war has entered a new dimension. The Alberta Fish and Game Association is supporting a campaign that targets American hunters. The point: �you can�t take Canadian wildlife while live-cattle trade from Canada remains in limbo.�
AFGA�s President Ray Makowecki believes American hunters could help push the U.S. government to reopen the border. Cattlemen are posting signs that say: "No American Hunters allowed due to BSE" and "No Beef � No Hunting." This is an interesting and innovative tactic.
I got this in an industry newsletter, what do you think ?