Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to be speaking to Bill C-501, An Act respecting a National Hunting, Trapping and Fishing Heritage Day.

I have often mentioned that I hunt. I would like to preface my remarks by saying that during discussions about former Bill C-465, the former Canadian heritage committee said that fishing, hunting and trapping have been traditional subsistence methods for Canada's aboriginal people since time immemorial. That is important. Bill C-465 died on the order paper because the 2011 election was called early.

There are several aboriginal communities in my riding, and people are always talking about hunting and fishing. I will not discuss that for the moment because my colleague from Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik—Eeyou can talk more about it when he gives his speech in the second hour of debate.

Our first nations were fishing long before the first white settlers arrived here, long before the 16th century, when explorers came to the Gulf of St. Lawrence. It is one of our traditional activities.

According to the 2010 Survey of Recreational Fishing in Canada, almost 3.3 million adult anglers participated in a variety of recreational fishing activities in Canada. They caught over 193 million fish of all species and retained nearly 63 million.

In 2010, anglers invested $5.8 billion in various kinds of gear in Canada. In Quebec alone, more than $1.5 billion was spent on gear, boating equipment, camping equipment, vehicles, real estate and so on. That is significant.

I will use the rest of my time to talk about something that is especially important to me, and that is the increasing number of women who fish and hunt. More and more women in this country are fishing and hunting, and it is important to highlight that fact. I spoke with the member for Gatineau earlier and she told me that she still remembers when she caught her first walleye. The member for Halifax told me about how she used to hunt when she was younger and living in Kirkland Lake, which is close to where I live. A growing number of women are interested in the sport.

For example, in 2010, 245,000 fishing licences were sold in Quebec specifically to women. That is particularly interesting. As for hunting, in the past 10 years, 36,000 women have taken the introduction to hunting course in Quebec. More and more women in Quebec are heading into the forest and hunting.

Companies are even making products adapted for women. In the past, women had to buy men's gear in size small, when it was in stock. Some stores carried only a size large or bigger. It was very hard to dress for hunting. These days, many products are adapted for women and their size. This market has really opened up and developed. Canadian companies continue to develop such products for women because nearly 25% of women do hunt.

I read another article about women who hunt, specifically in my riding of Abitibi—Témiscamingue. The article said that women often make very good hunters because they tend to learn from their mistakes in order to get better. Perhaps male hunters are less likely to admit their mistakes, and that is why they improve more slowly. Women, however, really want to improve. They are also more patient, which is a valuable attribute in hunting. This is why women often become excellent hunters.

Some of my colleagues may not know this, but two licences are needed to kill a moose in Quebec. One person can shoot the moose and a second person must devote their licence to that moose. According to that article, women are no longer present just to supply a second licence. They are really playing an active role in the forest. It seems that hunting camps are also much bigger and offer more amenities, which means that hunting is becoming more of a family activity, and camps are no longer rustic places for men to gather among friends.

I would also like to share something I found really funny. When I was doing my research on hunting and fishing, I found a Facebook page. It is called “Women Hunt Too”. Over 95,000 people have “liked” this page. It is really impressive.

I want to point out that there are women of all ages who hunt. I recently saw a photo that one of my friends posted on Facebook of herself with her four-year-old daughter. There they were, two girls going hunting. I think it is wonderful to see this passion being passed on to young girls.

I would also like to add that hunting for women is not just for young women. It is also for older women. I read an article about a woman from Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, named Laura Wood. This 95-year-old woman bagged a moose with one shot. It is really impressive. She said that she has hunted since she was 16 years old. She hunted rabbit and deer.

These examples of women who have hunted for a long time bring younger women to hunting. They make hunting available not just for men but for women of every age.

I would also like to talk about an initiative of the Fédération québécoise des chasseurs et pêcheurs. In 1999, the federation created the Fauniquement femme program, through which it offers annual workshops to introduce women to fishing and hunting. The program is geared towards women.

I found another example from Saskatchewan. Saskatchewan Whitetail Outfitters does the exact same thing and organizes hunting trips for women and girls. I think that is great. The markets are increasingly adapting to women. Although hunting is a traditionally male activity, that boundary is breaking down. This is something to be celebrated.

As I have already said, many products have been adapted for women, even firearms. For example, stocks are smaller and adjustable. Hunting has become an economic sector in Canada, and this sector includes everyone—not just men. That is why I think this day is worthwhile.

I spoke a lot about the role of women. I spoke with the hon. member for Gatineau, who was telling me that she remembers the first time she caught a pickerel. I had to tell her that I do not remember catching my first fish because I was too young. It is the same thing for hunting. I barely remember. My father tells me wonderful stories. When I was young, he made me a wooden rifle and he took me with him to hunt partridge. I was just barely three years old. The more we introduce people to hunting, the more they will be able to understand and share our passion, and the more meaningful this national day will become.

I would like to specify that one of the most important things for me is taking the time to introduce young women to hunting. This should not remain a male-dominated activity. More and more people are open-minded about it and more and more fathers do not have any problem taking their wives or daughters hunting with them. They are proud to show off the pictures of the moose that their wife shot with a rifle or bow.

I was pleased to speak about this bill. I hope that many women will continue to discover hunting. I hope that people will continue to speak to me about their experiences and I hope that I will continue to see hunting pictures.

I also hope that many people will continue to come to my riding and contribute to its economy. I hope that this generation of hunters will endure and that, when I am 95 years old, I will be able to talk to them about a moose that I killed. I would be happy to do so.

I therefore encourage members to support this bill.

Christine Moore

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