The Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson
Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard
House of Commons
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0A6
November 8, 2018
Dear Minister Wilkinson:
Every five years, a survey of recreational fishing in Canada is carried out by Fisheries and Oceans Canada. The 2010 survey results were a positive testament to the importance of recreational fishing to Canada’s economy. Over 8 million Canadians enjoy recreational fishing and support an industry that generates over 9 billion dollars annually, employing thousands of Canadians.
The results of the 2015 Survey of Recreational Fishing in Canada have been ‘PENDING’ now for over two years. As the representative organization of the recreational sportfishing industry in Canada, we have been watching your Ministry’s website monthly for the release of the results only to see notices such as ‘coming this Spring’ then, ‘coming this Fall’, and now just ‘Pending’. 2019 will be here in less than two months and the results of the 2015 survey will be four years old.
On behalf of the Canadian Sportfishing Industry Association, I ask you, what is the hold up? Our member companies, which employ tens of thousands of Canadians in manufacturing, retail and media, deserve to have access to the most recent taxpayer-funded survey results in a more timely fashion.
I look forward to your response.
Sincerely,
Kim Rhodes
President
Canadian Sportfishing Industry Association
cc:
Robert Zimmer, MP/Outdoor Caucus Co-Chair
Gudie Hutchings, MP/Outdoor Caucus Co-Chair
Larry Miller, MP
Marc Serré, MP
Phil Morlock, GA Chair, CSIA
Interested Parties
