LEDUC, Alta. Ñ An embarrassed Liberal member of Parliament stood before the Alberta Elk Commission convention on the weekend and admitted he had never heard of the industry’s troubles.
David Kilgour, one of two Liberal MPs in Alberta, and a member of the House of Commons agriculture committee, said he didn’t know borders around the world have been closed to Canadian elk velvet for five years and that the lack of markets is slowly strangling the industry.
“I’m embarrassed to admit I didn’t know about this problem and I’m on the ag committee,” Kilgour told the elk producers.
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“I should have got a much better briefing. I didn’t know the ban was five years old,” said Kilgour who asked to speak at the elk producers’ convention.
Kilgour didn’t think he was the only politician ignorant of industry issues and told the group they had to make presentations to the agriculture committee to let MPs know there are problems.
“Correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t think we’ve had a hearing on the problems of the elk industry. We’ve heard from everybody else on every other subject.
“I’m not aware of any hearing on the problems in the elk industry. It’s high time we did.”
Hearing so clearly that a government MPs wasn’t aware of their troubles was discouraging to many producers at the convention.
Glenda Elkow, president of the Alberta Elk Commission, said they also have to evaluate their lobby efforts.
“Our industry should be a bit embarrassed about that as well. I sit here and wonder why don’t they know because we have a duty to educate you folks. We can’t be unheard of down there,” she said.
Terry Church, president of the Canadian Cervid Council, said he was surprised at Kilgour’s ignorance of the elk situation.
“You could certainly say I’m surprised that David Kilgour would never have heard of the cervid council or some of the issues concerning the industry. We’ve certainly provided those briefings and letters to the minister’s office,” said Church.
The industry has made at least two presentations to the House of Commons agriculture committee and to the Senate agriculture committee, and lobbied through the efforts of former executive director Serge Buy, he said.
Each fall for three years the council has hosted an industry night where all MPs were invited to learn more.
“For whatever reason the information getting to David Kilgour obviously just fell through the cracks.”
Gerry Ritz, a Conservative MP from Saskatchewan, and also a member of the agriculture committee, was surprised Kilgour hadn’t heard of the problems.
“What is he? Deaf, dumb and blind?”
Ritz added that he had brought up the problem several times in the Commons and attended the cervid industry’s lobby days on Parliament Hill.
“It’s been fairly well documented.”
