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Standing Order 31
June 4, 2009
Mr. Garry Breitkreuz
(Yorkton—Melville, CPC):
Madam Speaker, today is a historic day for Ducks Unlimited Canada, a trusted and respected conservation company.
Senior executives, staff and members of the board of directors have met with parliamentarians throughout the day to educate them about Ducks Unlimited Canada's outstanding 71-year track record.
Ducks Unlimited Canada's partnership with the federal government is best showcased within the North American Waterfowl Management Plan, an international conservation plan signed by Canada, the U.S. and Mexico, in 1986. This plan has invested over $1.5 billion to conserve over four million acres of wetland ecosystems.
Ducks Unlimited has worked with all levels of government, first nations, industry, private landowners and others, to conserve 4.6 million acres, while influencing 33 million more acres through policy and conservation measures.
Ducks Unlimited Canada has 173,000 supporters, an annual budget of $78 million and a core volunteer force of duck hunters and anglers who raise conservation funds in the U.S. and Canada.
Ducks takes wetlands to the Hill 
Ottawa, Ont., June 4, 2009 — During an historic day at Parliament Hill, DUC directors, volunteers and staff spent the day on the hill meeting with various ministers and parliamentarians to draw attention to wetland conservation issues in Canada. In addition to the meetings, a parliamentary Standing Order and an evening reception were among the day’s highlights.
The day coincided with DUC’s Annual General Meeting held in Ottawa, attended by DUC’s national volunteer board of directors and senior executives from Canada and the U.S.
In one-on-one meetings with Members of Parliament, DUC representatives discussed wetland and waterfowl conservation initiatives occurring in different ridings across country. Through a parliamentary Standing Order 31, The Honourable Garry Breitkreuz, Member of Parliament, Yorkton-Melville, made brief remarks about DUC, the organization’s partnership with government and referenced the conservation role played by its core of hunting and angling supporters (see sidebar).
The full day ended with a small reception for MPs, senators and other parliamentarians to bring their attention to DUC’s conservation work as well as the ecological goods and services, such as improved water quality and carbon capture, that wetland areas provide. DUC President Neil Downey spoke to the importance of DUC’s federal government partnerships:
“DU Canada looks forward to our continued work with the federal government and other partners to identify and protect important waterfowl habitats through the Protected Areas Strategy and regional land use planning in the north, through agriculture policy in Growing Forward and strengthening our partnership with Environment, Natural Resources and Fisheries and Oceans.”
For more information, contact:
Leigh Patterson, l_patterson@ducks.ca
Corporate Media Relations Specialist
Ducks Unlimited Canada
Tel: (204) 467-3306
