Your petitions to him and your letters to him have been cast aside. The reasonable requests to him from your municipalities have been unanswered. The Association for the Protection of Fur-Bearing Animals, with whom you hold a membership, has been bluntly dismissed by his office.
Innocent animals – wild and domestic – have suffered every day in cruel traps, and he has ignored their cries. This bear who was found near Mission was strung up in a legally-set snare, then in her panic tried to escape by climbing a barbed wire fence. Thanks to Critter Care Wildlife Society, she will likely make a full recovery – but how many others won't?
Minister Steve Thomson has failed them, and you. If the elected official in charge of forests, lands and natural resources refuses to have a conversation with the people who put him in office, it’s time to talk to his peers and have them ask the hard questions.
Your Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) has the power to stand up and ask the Minister why he thinks it’s acceptable for family dogs to be killed in inherently inhumane traps. They can question him on why it’s acceptable that wild families are torn apart by steel devices. And any MLA can ask why he thinks tens of thousands of voices – voices like yours – will just got away if he ignores them long enough.
It’s time we gave up on the Minister of Forests, Lands, and Natural Resources and go to people who can force him to answer for his sins: the MLAs we elected.
TAKE ACTION
Write to your MLA – whom you can find with this convenient website (or call us at 604-435-1850 and we’ll help you find your MLA’s email or mailing address) – and tell them what you think of the Minister. And ask them what they will do to respond to the petitions, letters, media stories and suffering that their peer has ignored.
Sample Letter
Dear MLA (name),
I write to you as a member of The Association for the Protection of Fur-Bearing Animals (The Fur-Bearers) and a voting constituent in your riding. For two years, I have been one of tens of thousands calling on Minister of Forests, Lands and Natural Resources Steve Thomson to allow municipalities to prohibit or manage body-gripping traps (such as the still-legal leg-hold trap) in their communities, to make warning signs and ID tags mandatory where trapping takes place, and to re-evaluate other existing policies. But he – and his staff – have ignored these requests.
As my representative at the legislature, I want to know what you are going to do to force him to address these issues and begin the process of updating antiquated and barbaric trapping practices in our communities.
I would appreciate a direct response and would be happy to connect you with The Fur-Bearers, who can tell you more about existing policies and what they would like to see changed.
Signed,
(Your name and mailing address)
Please forward us any responses you may receive from your MLA or their staff so we are able to track the success of this campaign.
Photo of bear injured in a snare trap near Mission, BC, provided by Critter Care Wildlife Society
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