Re: “They’re big on protecting B.C.’s grizzly bears,” March 1.

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I was pleased to see on the front page of the Times Colonist that the B.C. Green Party is drawing attention to the plight of the grizzly bears of British Columbia.

The survival of our province’s grizzly bears is in the hands of our politicians. If the B.C. Liberals form the government again, that is bad news for the grizzlies. If the NDP forms the next government, the grizzly bears can breathe a huge sigh of relief.

The Liberals would allow trophy hunting to continue. This horrible hunt kills between 250 and 350 grizzly bears each year, and their numbers are dwindling.

However, if the NDP forms the next government, it has promised to ban trophy hunting immediately. The B.C. Greens would also ban trophy hunting, so their hearts are in the right place, but I do not anticipate that they will form our next government.

So for the first time in my life, I am going to vote for the B.C. NDP. The fate of the grizzly bears is of supreme importance to my family and to so many others. I hope that other residents of our province feel strongly enough about this issue to follow suit.

Grizzly bears are a part of our Canadian heritage. Their heads do not belong on hunters’ walls. The bears deserve to roam free in the wilderness. Consider your vote carefully or you might be contributing to the gruesome deaths of hundreds of grizzlies.

Kirsty Williams

Saanichton