The Clark government is under fire following remarks from Tsilhqot’in leaders in B.C.’s interior last week that the grizzly hunt licences issued by the province for their neck of the woods are “illegal.”
“This is Question Period material,” reacted B.C. NDP MLA Scott Fraser, the Aboriginal Relations critic on Friday.
The Official Opposition also responded to a slew of internal B.C. government memos obtained via the Vancouver Observer that show, among many revelations, a senior wildlife official warning against the hunt in the backcountry of one of the most legally trailblazing tribes in Canada.
The Tsilhqot’in are fresh off a Supreme Court land rights victory, and view the grizzly as sacred.
"[The Liberal government] is making [grizzly hunt] decisions based without science, and against the advice of their own staff, and against the views of First Nations who have title to the land. This is crazy,” said Fraser.
On Wednesday, Chief Joe Alphonse, tribal chair of the Tsilhqot’in National Government said:
"The hunt is illegal...If [grizzly] hunters come on to Tsilhqot’in title lands, they better check with us.” He represents six bands in the area.
The chief of one of the directly affected bands, Xeni Gwet’in Chief Roger William, said the recent tripling of provincial grizzly hunt licences in the area was “mind boggling."
In fact, the Aboriginal leader hadn’t even heard of the grizzly hunt increase in his area this year, until it was brought it to his attention.
“To find out that they jumped those grizzly [hunt licence] numbers to nine is news to me from you,” said Chief William on Friday.
“There has been no proper consultation. We question the whole count of grizzlies. We question the whole permit of grizzlies,” he added.
A provincial website currently warns that hunting licences may be affected by the Tsilhqot’in Supreme Court case.
Trophy Hunt FOI investigation
A Vancouver Observer investigation pored over hundreds of government emails about the controversial decision to reload the grizzly hunt in the Cariboo Chilcotin region last year. (A full chronology can be found here.)
The area had been off-limits to grizzly hunters for 13 years due to over-kills, and was becoming a sanctuary drawing bears for hundreds of kilometres, say conservationists.
One email shows senior BC wildlife manager —regional executive director Gerry MacDougall — urging his superiors that it was "not the time to launch a grizzly [Limited Entry Hunt]" due to Tsilhqot’in Supreme Court title case sensitivities, the Nov.6, 2013 email states.
Forestry, Lands and Natural Resources Minister Steve Thomson (center) and Energy and Mining Minister Bill Bennett (far right) in 2014. B.C. government photo.
The FOI released emails also show there were internal provincial government worries that the views of the Tsilhqot’in were not formally known "on letterhead" just two weeks before the decision was made to re-open the hunt.
Then in January 2014, Forestry, Lands and Natural Resources Minister Steve Thomson re-opened the hunt in two zones (called management units 5-05 and 5-06) which overlap Tsilhoqot’in territorial lands.
Emails also show he only did so after Mining Minister Bill Bennett — a hunting advocate and former guide outfitting investor —was given a 22-minute teleconference briefing by Thomson’s staff about the Chilcotin Cariboo hunt. The area is hundreds of kilometres from Bennett's East Kootenay riding, but contains a couple of active and controversial gold mine proposals.
In preparation for this Bennett briefing, a wildlife manager mused that an increase in grizzlies might be "might be kept handy to help mitigate a new mine,” the email stated.
By the summer of 2014, in an historic decision by the Supreme Court of Canada, the Tsilhqot’in were granted Title to 1,700 square kilometres of ancestral lands including areas near Chilko Lake where the province issued grizzly hunting licences.
Following, the Tsilhoqot’in and the Province entered in an interim agreement to allow registered guides to continue their wildlife hunt for the 2015 season, but not for grizzlies and not on Title lands, says Chief William.
Who tripled the grizzly hunt?
Then somehow, the number of grizzly licences tripled in the politically sensitive Tsilhqot’in lands. Forestry, Lands and Natural Resources staff said Minister Thompson was not involved.
"Minister Thomson is not responsible for issuing authorizations. Ministry biologists determine the number of authorizations to be issued based on five year allowable annual harvest, and success rates,” wrote ministry spokesperson Greig Bethel.
In reaction, Chief William chuckled. “But he didn’t stop it. [Minister Thomson] let it go ahead.”
A FOI released ministerial briefing note says the total number of grizzlies used to justify the hunt, was actually a hunch.
"These [bear] estimates are derived from modelling and professional opinion. There have been no DNA or other inventory studies conducted in this area,” Minister Thomson was told in a briefing note.
The minister said Friday:
"With regard to the decision to re-open the Chilcotin to a limited entry hunt in 2014, my decision was based on the best available science. The hunts were re-opened because grizzly population information and trends indicated that a limited hunt was sustainable."
"First Nations food, social, and ceremonial rights are provided for prior to any issuance of opportunities for either resident hunters or guide outfitters,” said Thomson.
Green Party MLA, Andrew Weaver, said the Liberals are too closely aligned with guide outfitters.
B.C. grizzly bear. Photo by Andrew Wright.
“This government has an agenda, come hell or high water, and that agenda is catering to their vested interests. And guide outfitters are in their good books right now,” said Weaver.
“They think they’re invincible," he added.
Coastal First Nations leader Art Sterritt has mused about taking the province to court to end the trophy hunt among the tidal tribes he represents.
“We agree with the Tsilhqot’in that this hunt is illegal. It’s contrary to [Aboriginal] culture."
“Our preferred route is not to go to court. It’s to negotiate a settlement, and that’s where we’re at now,” said Sterritt.
Minister Thomson was told in briefing notes that of the 185 public comments regarding the proposed Cariboo Chilcotin hunt, 170 were opposed (or 92 per cent against).
That mirrors recent province-wide polling, paid for by Coastal First Nations, showing 75 percent of British Columbians oppose the sport killing of grizzlies.
Liberals recently pushed hunting licence sales past 100,000 in B.C., Minister Thomson boasted in an annual hunting guide
The Guide Outfitters Association of B.C. said it was supportive of a recent Green Party legislative proposal to require meat removal from a grizzly hunting kill site.
In October 2014, Premier Clark apologized for the hanging of six Tsilhqot’in war chiefs, on the 150th anniversary of their deaths. Negotiations for the transfer of provincial royalties and responsibilities for Tsilhqot’in’s new title lands are ongoing.