Successful governments pay close attention to the lessons of history. And one lesson that history has taught us repeatedly is: governments who move towards a more humane society almost always find themselves on the right side of history.
It is a lesson that appears lost on B.C.’s Liberal government.
A new poll from Insights West shows the vast majority of B.C. residents are opposed to trophy hunting. While a government shouldn’t legislate based on polling, a survey isn’t needed to justify the elimination of such a barbaric practice. The Insights West poll showed 91 per cent of British Columbians oppose hunting animals for sport, and it’s probably fair to say the majority of the province’s residents not only oppose trophy hunting, but are sickened by it.
But B.C. Premier Christy Clark is sticking to her guns. Clark responded to questions on the poll by saying she didn’t enter politics to be popular. She said just because something is unpopular doesn’t make it wrong.
One has to wonder if the premier has seen the video which recently surfaced showing a grizzly bear being shot repeatedly as it scrambled down a hillside in a vain attempt to survive something that can only be described as torture. Does anybody really need a poll to tell them this is not only wrong, but an abomination to civilized society?
In attempts to defend the practice, the premier pointed to the healthy grizzly bear population and her desire to create jobs for people all around the province. There’s healthy dog and cat populations in B.C. also, but we don’t allow people to arbitrarily kill them. The poll showed that the opposition to trophy hunting isn’t just coming from urban centres, but rural areas as well. And the revenue eco-tourism brings to the province far surpasses anything raised by trophy hunts.
It’s only a matter of time before trophy hunting becomes illegal here in B.C. The only question that remains is whether the provincial government will try and get ahead of the issue or be forced to give up their defence of the indefensible.
