by George Connell In overhearing a heated conversation between two Canadians—one, the most indoorish looking person, and the second a robust outdoorsman with a truck full of loud dogs—a thought occurs.
Neither are originally from here. A discussion erupts between the two about the state of hunting. Mr. Indoorsman insists that we should be allowed to hunt and kill anything for which the government issues a licence and tags. Mr. Outdoorsman returns that no one should kill anything unless they intend to eat it, and even then they should consider any number of factors. It became quickly clear that a chasm existed between their respective beliefs.
While I no longer hunt or consume mass quantities of animal protein, I sincerely believe that, with a few exceptions, hunters are the last line of protection for wildlife.
They understand so much more than most Mr. Indoorsmen do, and I came to understand that this is quite reminiscent of our current federal polarity. If it is legal and the government says it is okay to despoil, rape, ravage, pillage, and otherwise lay waste to Mother Earth, and actively pursues and supports such a policy, then what is the problem?
But extending Mr. Outdoorsman's contention that one should only consume what Mother Earth offers us can only be the most intelligent, compassionate and self-preserving option.
Top-down authority systems are breaking down. Once people realise cuts have been so deep that there is no longer sufficient social supervision and policing to keep society within the touchlines, I believe all hell will quickly break loose, not only in the woods, but elsewhere.
Of course, this diatribe would be incomplete without tying it together to make my desired point. If the Conservative Government of Canada continues to make ill-advised cuts to parks, social services, CBC, et al—that is, if they continue to kill the goose we call Canada in order to profit from the immediate gain of her golden eggs—it will take generations to return to or achieve any semblance of normalcy.
Back to Mr. Indoorsman and Mr. Outdoorsman. Like the recent Facebook post that indicated the more an American knew where Ukraine was, the less likely he was to advocate armed intervention, the less knowledgeable a man or woman is of the reality of life on the ground in Canada, the less accurate and useful is their proffered opinion.
George Connell is a resident of Madeira Park on the Lower Sunshine Coast.
