Below is a transcript from an interview Rick Dykstra gave today on the Tom McConnell show where a caller asked for a position statement on banning the importation of wild caught marine mammals. As the Provincial strategy is stalled, this position - the first of it’s kind by a local centre/centre right politician - offers some small hope that a Federal ban could have support from multiple parties.

Tom - “Why doesn’t the Federal Government take a leadership role on animal welfare laws and put forth a law banning the importation of captured marine animals such as cetaceans into this country - currently we don’t allow capture of these animals in our own waters why should we condone it as long as it happens somewhere else?” (Question from Mike).

Rick Dykstra - “I agree. I think it is something we should look at. There are so many other countries in the world who have extended to pass legislation like this beyond their own national waters and into international waters and I am completely compared to look at legislation that would do that. I think there are very few countries in the g20/g7 that haven’t passed this type of legislation. I think it is time.”

Tom “Would you be willing to spearhead it?”

Rick - “From my perspective, as parliamentary Secretary I don’t have the authority to introduce a Private Member’s Bill, in terms of moving it to the next level, doing the research and looking at it and determining how we can do it - I am already doing that.”