Might I suggest sending the letter to both Ashfield and Harper. FYI... for your two days work, you recieve a very nice pre-written, pre-approved response from both thanking you. Harper's will actually tell you he is forwarding it to Ashfield. Yea, I know even being a Yank, I have been down this letter writing game way too many times. If everyone were to post the letters they have recieved you will find during specific dates, concerning a specific issue those letters will be word for word exactly the same! Sorry, the response will be polite but neither Harper and/or Ashfield really care what YOU as an individual have to say! But, KEEP WRITTING THOSE LETTERS, as they are entered into a data base.
Now, may I also suggest another route? Send a copy to your MLA and anyone and everyone else associated with local government alerting them this is unacceptable and as a concerned citizen and "voter" you want to know "their" position, and what they are currently doing. IMHO much more important then sending anything to Harper or Ashfield. First, you will get a "personalized" response and maybe even a request from some to meet and/or talk to discuss. You, at least feel you accomplished something and someone actually took the time to read your letter.
Lastly, would you mind sharing the letter? I have in the past, posted letters giving permission to use, copy in part or in whole. It helps others who aren't going to spend two day working on a letter, to give them ideas and thoughts - it really helps others to write letters.
YOU REALLY NEED TO STOP THIS ONE!!! Or, your new motto will be "we love our farmed salmon"!
Hey Charlie, thanks for the suggestions, I'll definitely be sending a copy to my MLA.
Here's the letter I wrote.
Concerns With Weakening the Fisheries Protection Act
Dear Keith Ashfield:
I am writing to you to express my deep concerns about the proposed modification of the Fisheries Protection Act. I highly believe that this action will depress the healthy fisheries that Canada is known for and further deplete the already struggling Vancouver Island salmon stocks.
In the modern world we are already facing challenges with climate change, food shortages, worldwide fish stocks declining at an alarming rate, environmental depletion, etc. It disgusts me as a Canadian citizen that in this day and age, already what I believe are fairly lax fish habitat protection laws is going to be further weakened to allow corporations to do anything at any expense to Canada’s waterways. Healthy fisheries like Fish Lake BC were being proposed to be destroyed due to a mining project. The fish lake fishery provides cultural importance to the First Nations and great importance to the many locals and tourist sport fishers. It took heavy lobbying to get the project rejected. Canada is known for its current pristine wilderness and world class sport fishing, which in return attracts many tourists that give this nation over 74 billion in revenues and provide about 660 000 jobs directly related to the industry. If this act was made weaker than it currently is, then many more fisheries of local importance across Canada would be under great threat. When fish don’t have any habitat to support them, then that would mean no fish. That would mean that thousands of local businesses that are indirectly related to fisheries that are destroyed, would be feeling a large loss, while businesses directly linked to these devastated fisheries would very likely go out of business, costing Canadians thousands of jobs. Canada would likely lose out on millions in tourist revenue. Not only that, but local sport fishers, and local natives would likely be socially devastated from having to try to accept that their local life- long cherished fishery was lost just to benefit an unethical practice done by the 1% (AKA rich corporate owners) that have had a history of exploiting the land and leaving their mess behind, and then continue on to tramp on the local environment elsewhere. Many of these CEOs probably do not even live near the areas they exploit, hence not feeling the local impact that they make. Tourists would also likely be feeling large scale grief as their favorite tourist getaway paradise that they invested thousands into and drove great distances to get to every year is a thing of the past. I live in Central Alberta, but if the Vancouver Island was destroyed due to destructive industry, I would be deeply devastated as it is my top favorite summer getaway paradise.
Here is a link to prove how important tourism is to Canada.
http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/dsib-tour.nsf/eng/Home
Another reason I oppose these changes to the Fisheries Protection Act, is the fact that the Vancouver Island BC salmon stocks are dwindling, while South Vancouver Island Orca Whales are listed as endangered. It is well known that keeping Salmon spawning habitat intact as much as possible will help keep salmon stocks healthy. I believe that the current development that is allowed with the strength of the Fisheries Protection Act, has already been challenging the sustainability of Wild Pacific Salmon stocks to the point that there will probably be a commercial and sport fishing closure on Southern Vancouver Island this upcoming summer. Logging along the rivers has likely allowed unnatural amounts of run-off to flow into the rivers. Chemicals from the run-off and sewage that is dumped into the river has been shown to contribute to the depletion of the salmon population. A study a while back has shown that some of these chemicals have turned many male smolt salmon into females. Damming without building appropriate fish ladders has also blocked off or greatly delayed the salmon’s ability to run up the rivers to make it back to their spawning grounds. With these changes being made to the Act, it sounds like corporations would be allowed to further destruct these vital spawning rivers, causing destruction to these salmon spawning grounds, not to mention the toxic industry tailings poisoning smolts that turn out to be sensitive to toxic and man made chemicals. Even if these potentially harmful industries don’t occur directly on the larger salmon spawning rivers, the toxins would still carry into these spawning rivers if these smaller streams were connected to them. With these changes to the Fisheries Protection Act, it would also be likely that more net pen fish farms would be allowed to be built, which I believe would further deplete the already struggling salmon stocks. Studies have shown that these net pen farms attract hoards of lice which in experiments have been shown to easily kill off many salmon smolts. Not only that, but lab studies that were done, and mysteriously kept secret, proved that the invasive ISAV salmon virus was in BC waters and has been affecting Wild Pacific Salmon. The BC sport and commercial fishing industry, that rakes in over 400 million in GDP, already has an uncertain future as salmon populations are declining due to the current Fishery Protection Act not being able to protect the current salmon population. It would be logical that weakening this act would put these magnificent salmon, and important economies and cultural practices that depend on these fish, at an even greater risk. Not only would these economies and culture practices be increasingly threatened, but seals, the already endangered southern BC Orca Whale population, eagles, bears, and other fish species that feed on salmon, would also be at risk. Without unpolluted water to swim in and drink, and decreased amounts of marine food, humans would likely be feeling the impact as well.
Here’s a link about the proposed fish lake BC project.
http://www.protectfishlake.ca/lette...-mine-proposal-a-waste-of-taxpayers-money.php
Here’s some links about the endangered south BC orcas and the further declining wild salmon population due to already inadequate habitat protection.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news...on-fisherys-decade-of-decline/article1405130/
http://thetyee.ca/Blogs/TheHook/Environment/2011/11/30/infectious_salmon_anemia/
http://www.oag-bvg.gc.ca/internet/English/parl_cesd_200410_05_e_14918.html
http://voices.yahoo.com/pollution-water-causing-fish-change-sex-346906.html
http://www.farmedanddangerous.org/salmon-farming-problems/economic-impacts/
http://foodweb.uhh.hawaii.edu/mare 399v/salmon.pdf
http://www.canada.com/topics/news/national/story.html?id=f3e0b0e8-3336-4bcb-af10-d919a75aa00c
http://www.wwf.ca/conservation/species/sarrfo/killer_whales/