Access for All

As hunters and anglers, our traditions have never more threatened than right now, and the threats have grown far beyond hunters and anglers to include outfitters, agricultural producers, cottage owners, forestry workers, and essentially all users of natural resources and land in Manitoba.

The MWF’s Access for All campaign was born in July of 2024 in response to Manitoba’s unilateral decision to cut licensed moose tags by 75% in four northern Game Hunting Areas without moose population data, or meaningful engagement with licensed hunters. The MWF responded by filing for judicial review to defend licensed hunters. Since that time, the MWF has been literally bombarded with an array of additional potential threats to all users of land and resources in this province.

From the federal government’s 30-by-30, UN-led protection vision and its programs like Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas (IPCAs), and Ecological Corridors, to lawsuits by Indigenous communities claiming sole authority over crown lands and waters, to resource agreements negotiated by the Manitoba government encumbering crown lands that were not made public, to name a few. The challenges and issues have been unrelenting.

What do all these threats have in common?

The federal and provincial governments have vastly excluded non-indigenous interests in the engagement process. These land protection processes have been led by government institutions like Parks Canada, or by environmental activist organizations, but these entities are not accepted or trusted by a majority of stakeholders to manage a fair, transparent process that respects all interests. Trust has been eroded, discomfort and frustration is on the rise.

Competing visions are at the root of the disagreements: more federal and provincial parks vs. lands that are sustainably managed, with full access for all Manitobans to pursue their traditions and livelihoods.

To be clear, we do not place any blame on Indigenous communities for the lack of inclusivity shown by governments to this point. Indigenous people didn’t design these programs and we’re confident they didn’t ask that others be excluded. Further, we believe most Manitobans aren’t against land protection, they just want to be part of the conversation, with a unifying belief that all Manitobans collectively own crown resources. The approach taken to this point has divided Manitobans at a time when we badly need to come together to share management of resources.

The MWF has responded through our Access for All campaign by showing up and representing a broadening array of citizens in the court room, in town hall meetings across Manitoba, in the news, and in rural, urban and indigenous communities. Access for All has experienced a groundswell of grassroots support, that is expanding exponentially across Manitoba.

In the short-term, existing federal and provincial park protection programming needs to pause to ensure that further harm to reconciliation is avoided. Hopefully the current Manitoba government and whoever forms the next federal government will reset relationships in Manitoba and across Canada, taking an inclusive approach to land protection so that Indigenous communities and all other Canadians can be at the table for the critical land-use discussions that will decide the future for our province and country.