Protecting wild Pacific salmon

Mar 16, 2019 | Blog | 1 comment

Yesterday was a good day.Wild salmon has been the centre of my policy work in the legislature. And yesterday, I had the honour of standing with Premier John Horgan and Minister Jonathan Wilkinson (Fisheries and Oceans Canada) to announce a $142 million fund to support wild salmon initiatives in British Columbia.

There is a lot to celebrate!

This announcement is the culmination of a sustained effort. It demonstrates how a clear and consistent message, paired with strong and respectful advocacy, can help advance an issue.

The love story with salmon in British Columbia goes back a very long time, countless generations in fact.

We are in the WEXES (frog) moon, in the W̱SÁNEĆ thirteen moon annual calendar. It is the beginning of Spring. And, we turn the corner toward the summer and the four salmon moons – ĆENŦEḴÍ, ĆENHENEN, ĆENŦÁWEN, and ĆENQO,LEW̱.

In the the W̱SÁNEĆ teachings, salmon (SĆÁÁNEW̱) and humans (W̱ILṈEW̱) are relatives. So, our relatives are finishing their journey and they are on their way back to their homelands. And, they will soon gather in the Salish Sea to prepare for their final run to the creeks, streams and lakes in the British Columbia interior, where their lives began.

Celebrating wild Pacific salmon

There are many stories just like this one.

We honoured those stories yesterday. And, we forged a path for future stories to continue.

It appears for the first time in decades that the provincial and federal governments are aligned on wild salmon policy. Actually, it is the first time in decades that the provincial and federal governments paid any attention to wild salmon.

The $142 million commitment will come in roughly $28 million instalments over each of the next five years. B.C. will put in $42.85 million, and Ottawa has committed to fund $100 million.

Indeed, this is a great start. It’s the first step of a long journey. No doubt, there is a long and difficult journey ahead.

The work we have before us is marred with difficult decisions. And, they will test us.

Where we invest, what we support, how (or if) we harvest, what we protect, restore and conserve. It will not be easy but I look forward to coming weeks and months!

View media release about announcement.


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1 Comment

  1. Bill Foster

    Progress Well done!

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