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Four years, $10,000, one frog: Inside Parks Canada’s costly frog cull

Published

4 weeks ago

5 minute read

From the Canadian Taxpayers Federation

Author: Ryan Thorpe

It took Parks Canada four years and $10,000 to capture a bullfrog in British Columbia.

“Kids spend zero dollars actually catching frogs, but Parks Canada managed to spend several years and thousands of tax dollars not capturing a single frog,” said Franco Terrazzano, Federal Director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation. “Did Parks Canada put Mr. Magoo in charge of this particular operation?”

Between 2018-19 and 2022-23, Parks Canada launched a series of unsuccessful culls of the American Bullfrog at the Gulf Islands National Park Reserve, according to access-to-information records obtained by the CTF.

The Gulf Islands National Park Reserve is a collection of 15 islands and 30 islets off the southern coast of B.C.

In 2018-19, Parks Canada spent $1,920 attempting to cull the American Bullfrog from these lands, but did not manage to kill a single frog.

The following year, Parks Canada spent $2,000 and again struck out.

The cull took a temporary hiatus in 2020-21, according to the records.

In 2021-22, Parks Canada spent another $2,207 on the cull, but once again failed to kill any bullfrogs.

Finally, in 2022-23, after years of failure, Parks Canada spent $3,882 and managed to kill one frog.

Between the years of 2018-19 and 2022-23, Parks Canada spent $10,009 on these frog hunts, capturing a single American Bullfrog in the process.

“The frogs appear to be slipping through the fingers of Parks Canada bureaucrats just as fast as our tax dollars are,” Terrazzano said. “Parks Canada keeps proving it’s very bad at hunting, but very good at wasting money.”

The American Bullfrog is the largest species of frog in North America, and is native to southern Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. It was “introduced” to B.C., according to the Canadian Encyclopaedia.

A Parks Canada brochure for the Gulf Islands National Park Reserve describes American Bullfrogs as “real bullies” that “prey on any animal they can overpower and stuff down their throat.”

In 2023-24, Parks Canada’s annual bullfrog hunt at the Gulf Islands National Park Reserve finally hit the jackpot, killing 100 bull frogs at a price tag of $5,079.

The frogs killed by Parks Canada so far have come at a hit to taxpayers of $149 a head.

The records obtained by the CTF detail all Parks Canada animal culls conducted between the years of 2018-19 and 2023-24, as well as any planned future spending.

During that time period, Parks Canada spent a combined $2.6 million on animal hunts targeting moose, deer, doves, foxes, frogs and rats, alongside different species of fish.

Parks Canada plans to spend an additional $3.3 million on animal culls in the coming years. The overall animal cull bill that Parks Canada plans to send to taxpayers sits at $5.9 million.

The highest profile of these animal culls is taking place on Sidney Island in B.C., with Parks Canada spending more than $800,000 on phase one of the hunting operation, which took down 84 deer, at a cost of $10,000 a head.

Residents of Sidney Island organized their own hunt last fall, killing 54 deer at no cost to taxpayers.

So far, Parks Canada has employed exotically expensive hunting techniques on Sidney Island, bringing in expert marksmen from the U.S. and New Zealand and renting a helicopter for $67,000.

Phase two of the operation is set for this fall and will involve ground hunting with dogs.

That deer hunt is part of a $12-million Parks Canada project, officially called the Fur To Forest program, aimed at eradicating the European fallow deer population on Sidney Island and restoring native vegetation, tree seedlings and shrubs.

“The Sidney Island deer hunt has already proven to be an utter disaster and Parks Canada should cut taxpayers’ losses and cancel phase two,” Terrazzano said. “Parks Canada should stop cosplaying as Rambo on the hunt for deer and frogs before it wastes even more of our money.”

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Published on October 4, 2024

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By Clare Marie Merkowsky

The Alberta premier fact-checked pro-LGBT Minister of Women and Gender Equality Marci Ien’s condemnation of pro-family legislation, pointing out that children who undergo irreversible gender surgeries and drugs suffer from the repercussions for life.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith blasted a Liberal minister for spreading the false claim that legislation will hurt gender-confused kids.

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“Do you mean like listening to children going through this, @MarciIen?” Smith questioned, linking to a National Post article highlighting the pain and regret by detransitioners who made irreversible decision to take drugs and surgeries to change their bodies as young teens.

Later, Smith doubled down on her stance, saying, “In Alberta, we believe children should wait until adulthood before making physical changes to their body.”

“Furthermore, we believe in the rights of loving parents to be meaningfully engaged with their children’s education when sensitive issues are taught,” she continued. “And women and girls deserve the opportunity to compete fairly and safely in female-only divisions.”

Smith’s new legislation, which will take effect later this month, far surpasses other provinces in its protection of children and would make Alberta’s parental rights laws the strongest in the country.

Licensed doctors are prohibited from performing sex-change surgeries on youth under age 18 in Alberta. Puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones will be prohibited for minors under the age of 16 unless the minors have already begun taking those drugs.

Those “born biologically male” will be prohibited from competing against women and girls in competitive sports. Parental opt-in will be required for “each instance” a teacher wishes to discuss gender identity, sexual orientation, or human sexuality.

Parental notification is required for “socially transitioning” a student — that is, changing a student’s given name or pronouns. Unfortunately, 16- and 17-year-olds are still allowed to decide to change their name or pronouns in school, but parents must be notified.

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In 2019, the clinic was exposed for approving “life-changing medical intervention” for children and teens “without sufficient evidence of its long-term effects.” Shortly after, the clinic was forced to shut down.

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Dan Knight

Corruption, Crime, and Economic Chaos: Trudeau’s Canada Exposed in QP

Published on October 4, 2024

By

The Opposition with Dan Knight

Liberals Stonewall Corruption Probe, Bail System in Shambles, and Economy Sinks Below Alabama—All While Seniors and Canadians Struggle to Survive

This is a pilot—we’ve never reviewed Canada’s Question Period (QP) before. But after yesterdays circus, we might have to make this a regular thing. If you like this summary, comment, like, and share.

Yesterdays Question Period in Canada’s Parliament was exactly what you’d expect from Justin Trudeau’s government—pure corruption and delusion. We’re talking blatant scandals, crumbling economic conditions, and, of course, Trudeau’s ministers tripping over themselves to defend the indefensible. Let’s break it down, and remember—this is your money, your future, and your freedoms on the line.

Liberal Corruption: $400 Million in Self-Dealing

First up: corruption. Trudeau’s Liberals are embroiled in yet another scandal, this time involving $400 million in contracts funneled to Liberal insiders. The Conservatives, led by Pierre Poilievre, hammered the government for refusing to hand over documents to the RCMP. These documents are crucial to investigating 184 cases of conflicts of interest uncovered by the Auditor General. In other words, the Liberals are using your tax dollars to line their own pockets.

The MP from Regina-Capel, Michael Kram, went after the government, asking the obvious question: why is Trudeau hiding these documents? Why are Liberals protecting their insiders while Canadians can’t even afford to feed their families? Poilievre demanded accountability, but what did the Liberal House Leader, Karina Gould, have to say? That the Conservatives were trying to “trample the Charter rights” of Canadians by asking for these documents.

Hold on. The Liberals are talking about Charter rights? Let’s get real here. These are the same Liberals who trampled all over Charter rights when they invoked the Emergencies Act in 2022. They shut down protests, froze bank accounts of peaceful demonstrators, and trampled on freedom. Trudeau’s government violated Canadians’ most basic freedoms, but now they’re hiding behind the Charter to dodge corruption allegations? The hypocrisy is nauseating.

Bail Reform: Trudeau’s “Hug-a-Thug” Program Exposed

And while we’re on the subject of failure, let’s talk about crime. Trudeau’s government has created a public safety nightmare. Under his watch, criminals walk free because of his “hug-a-thug” bail policies. Today, Pierre Poilievre exposed yet another case: a repeat violent offender, out on bail, shot a police officer. This is the reality in Trudeau’s Canada—violent offenders arrested, released, and committing more crimes. All while our police officers are under siege.

The Justice Minister, Arif Virani, blamed the provinces, as usual. No solutions. Just excuses. He tried to shift the blame, while the streets remain unsafe. Virani’s response to a cop getting shot by a criminal on bail? Crickets. Meanwhile, families across the country are afraid to walk down their own streets.

Canada is Now Poorer Than Alabama: The Liberal Legacy of Economic Collapse

And if you think that’s bad, let’s dive into Trudeau’s economic disaster. Under his leadership, Canadians are now poorer than people in Alabama. That’s right—an Economist report compared Canada’s living standards to one of the poorest states in the U.S., and guess what? Canada came up short. How’s that for leadership?

Adam Chambers, the MP from Simcoe North, laid out the truth. Canada has the worst consumer debt in the G7, housing costs have doubled, and GDP growth is projected to be the worst in the OECD until 2060. 2060! That’s how long the Trudeau nightmare will haunt Canada. And what do the Liberals say in response? Jean-Yves Duclos, the Public Services Minister, bragged about their investments in “affordable housing.” What a joke. This government built six affordable housing units in a riding over the course of years. Six!

But it gets better. Trudeau’s government keeps parading around their dental care plan like it’s some kind of win. Great—Canadians can get their teeth fixed, but they can’t afford to buy food! What’s the point of dental care when families are lining up at food banks? The Liberals are so out of touch with reality it’s unreal.

Seniors: Two Classes, One Betrayal

The Bloc Québécois and NDP didn’t hold back on the government either. They called out Steven MacKinnon, the Minister of Labor and Seniors, for continuing to create two classes of seniors. Right now, seniors aged 65 to 74 are being treated like second-class citizens because the Liberals refuse to increase their Old Age Security (OAS) by 10%. Seniors over 75 get the bump, but if you’re under 75? Forget about it.

The Bloc MP from Shefford, Andréanne Larouche, ripped into MacKinnon, accusing him of failing seniors in his own riding. But MacKinnon, like a good Liberal, brushed it off, hiding behind weak excuses. Larouche was right—this government is willing to throw seniors under the bus to avoid a political fight. MacKinnon had the nerve to lecture us about how well the Liberals are doing for seniors, but all we see are skyrocketing costs, poverty, and broken promises.

“Hate Speech”? No, It’s Just Speech

Finally, we need to address the elephant in the room—this obsession with so-called “hate speech.” NDP MP Leah Gazan pushed her bill to classify residential school denialism as hate speech. Let’s be clear: we all agree that residential schools were a horrific chapter in Canadian history. But this isn’t about that. This is about free speech.

You may not like what someone has to say, but free speech exists for a reason. It allows us to have a dialogue, to debate, to confront bad ideas with good ones. Labeling everything you disagree with as “hate speech” only shuts down conversation. And let’s be real—Trudeau’s government is the last group of people that should be defining what is or isn’t acceptable speech. These are the same people who trampled on free expression during the Freedom Convoy protests. Speech is speech. You either support free speech, or you don’t.

This has been your first recap of Canada’s Question Period—what a disaster zone. Trudeau’s Liberals are corrupt, out of touch, and more interested in defending their friends than helping Canadians. Crime is out of control, the economy is in free fall, and seniors are being thrown under the bus. And don’t even get me started on the hypocrisy of Liberals defending Charter rights after invoking the Emergencies Act to crush dissent.

Let’s get the truth out there. If you like what you’ve read, comment, like, and share. Should we keep this going? Let us know.

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