The Manitoba Wildlife Federation (MWF) is hosting a series of town hall meetings this week across Southern Manitoba, including in Pilot Mound, Portage and Brandon.
Previous meetings held in Northern and Central Manitoba have garnered significant interest, according to Rob Olson the Federation's Senior Scientific Advisor.
According to the MWF, the meetings are focused on ensuring fair and sustainable access to wildlife resources. They come on the heels of the province's decision earlier this year to reduce the number of moose draw licenses by 75% in four of Manitoba's game hunting areas, something the MWF feels was done without full engagement with licensed hunters. The meetings are also being used as a venue to educate on the federally-driven Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas initiative.
"We just had this rising concern," stated Olson. "Our members and hunters and anglers are reaching out to us, saying what's happening here? Why aren't we being engaged by the province? So that was one of the impetus for the start of the town hall meetings, but it's just kind of grown from there, and more issues have now emerged, and the concerns I would say are rising."
Olson wants to make it absolutely clear the meetings held so far have been tremendously respectful, and that neither the MWF nor its members are against Indigenous peoples or their right to fight for their rights.
"At the same time we're upset with government in not fully engaging all the rest of us in the decision," he explained. "We understand the Constitutional priority Indigenous hunters have, and anglers and the communities, but we also believe all Manitobans own these resources, and that it's government's job to effectively reconcile all of us, and have us at the table and be respectful to all parties. We just don't feel right now the licensed hunter and angler communities are being effectively engaged and included in the process."
Olson noted the meetings are about organizing licensed hunters and anglers, but all Indigenous peoples are welcome to participate, noting significant engagement from them and Metis peoples at the meetings, so far. He pointed specifically to the meeting held in Swan River where a number of First Nation Elders attended and spoke eloquently about their perspective.
"The main take home for me is the conversations have been really productive, respectful, balanced, thoughtful," he said. "Yes, debates. Yes, some disagreement, but really respectful, which gives me a little bit of hope things could go a little bit better. The other thing I would say is that people emerging in the meetings are real thought leaders. There's incredibly passionate, thoughtful and really lucid conversations going on, so we've been really encouraged by it."
Interest in hosting a MWF town hall meeting has been "exploding" according to Olson, with at least an additional dozen requests coming to the organization beyond those already scheduled.
"What we're hoping to gather is information from all the attendees to really get a full understanding what do they want government to do, and there's already a pretty clear picture emerging," said Olson. "They just want to be heard."
Olson added people of all political stripes have been in the meetings, and the commonality among them is a passion for the outdoors and having access to Crown lands and resources.
"We, and they, collectively just want government to be different," he added. "We just want them to listen and fully engage and hear these people and do it differently. Bring everybody to the table. Yes respect all sides. Yes respect the Indigenous Constitutional priorities, but include everybody. That's the resounding message."
He elaborated further by saying people are feeling shut out of the process, right now.
"We hope government will listen to this, they will hear it," he said. "It will lead to official meetings. We'll get responses to the many letters we're sending in. There'll be tables where we can come to the table, and have conversations and discuss with government as well as the Indigenous leadership that that's involved in these decisions."
The meetings will be held November 5th at the Royal Canadian Legion in Portage la Prairie, November 6th at the Royal Canadian Legion in Brandon and November 7th at the Kin Centre in Pilot Mound. All three begin at 7pm.