UPDATE THE HUNTING LAW
Avideo that shows an American hunter throwing a spear at a black bear in northern Alberta, and then boasting about his kill, was watched around the world in the summer of 2016, with many viewers expressing their outrage.
Appropriately, the provincial government quickly promised to ban the practice of spear hunting after the video was posted on YouTube, pledging it would introduce legislation that fall. The province described spear hunting as “archaic” and “unacceptable” and asked fish and wildlife officers to determine if charges were warranted. Because spear hunting isn’t banned in Alberta, unlike in jurisdictions such as Ontario, no charges were ever laid.
Now, the government says a prohibition against spear hunting is part of a broader review.
“It is not just about spears,” says Matt Besko, director of wildlife policy for Alberta Environment.
“When we looked at our legislation, there are other potential inhumane or unethical methods that could be used. The legislation would refer to firearms and archery equipment as the only permitted weapons to be used to harvest game species in Alberta. All other methods would be prohibited.”
The atlatl, a kind of stick a hunter can use to throw a dart or a short spear at prey, is among other non-standard hunting methods being considered banned.
It’s difficult to understand why the NDP government would let last fall slip by, then this autumn, without living up to its commitment. It says the soonest spear hunting will be dealt with is the fall of 2018.
Besko says the only hunting weapons that should be permitted are guns and archery equipment. What more is there to study, then? He also admits “there are other potential inhumane or unethical methods that could be used.” Shouldn’t ensuring Alberta’s wildlife is spared such mistreatment be a government priority?
This is a change in legislation — much like requiring the pre-payment of gas, as we noted Saturday — that could easily be achieved. Instead, the NDP seems obsessed with eliminating daylight savings time, despite the rejection of the notion by an all-party legislature committee that concluded it would hurt Alberta’s economy.
If the government has had a change of heart, and it now believes killing animals with spears aligns with Albertans’ values, then it should say so. If it hasn’t had such an epiphany, then it should apologize for dragging its feet and permitting a cruel form of hunting, while rarely practised, to remain legal.
This is one government action that won’t cost taxpayers a bundle. It’s the humane thing to do.