Policies - Animal Issues

Approved: 27 February 2022

Whereas:

It is estimated that there are between 25-30,000 black bears in Manitoba^{1, 2};
MB doesn’t actively monitor black bear populations³;
Bears have their litters in spring, and bear cubs need to remain with their mother for approximately 16-17 months to ensure survival of the cubs⁴;
Banning the killing of female bears accompanied by cubs is, for practical purposes, unenforceable;
Approximately 4000 bears are legally killed in MB each year, about 50% of which is normally conducted by foreign-based hunters⁵;
The government of Manitoba does not track the number of female bears killed during the spring bear hunt;
In Ontario, approximately one third of the bears killed during the Ontario spring bear hunt are female⁶;
There is no ceiling on the number of black bear hunting licences available to purchase in a given year⁷;
Bears lose considerable weight during hibernation and are in a weakened state when they emerge from hibernation in the spring;
Bear hunting typically involves using food bait, often human food containing sugar, to attract bears;
Bear habituation to human food is a common cause of bear-human conflict;
There are human, non-lethal methods to minimize bear-human conflict⁸; and
The spring bear hunt is not an effective strategy for addressing bear-human conflict;

Be It Resolved:

The Green Party of Manitoba will:

Work to improve the wildlife existence in this province by increasing protection for critical habitat;
Ban logging and mining in provincial parks, and increase the percentage of Manitoba’s forests which remain undisturbed;
Call for a ban on the spring bear hunt which leaves so many orphaned bear cubs each spring;
Work with those who depend on trapping in order to feed their families; and
Raise awareness and support the use of humane methods which reduce animal suffering.

References: