Phil Morlock, Director of Environmental Affairs for Shimano in both the U.S. and Canada is a respected member of the Board of Directors of the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) where he chairs the Communications Committee. He is frequently in Washington working with the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus on Capitol Hill and groups like the American Sportfishing Association (ASA) to advance issues of importance to America’s fishermen.
In his ‘spare time’ he represents the Canadian Sportfishing Industry Association (CSIA) in the same fashion in dealing with Canada’s Parliament. On March 13th, at the CSIA Annual General Meeting in Toronto, he received the 2008 Chairman’s Award for his work with the Parliamentary Outdoors Caucus.
Tom Brooke, CSIA Chairman presented the award and said: “Through his hard work and collaboration with others, Phil’s vision of establishing an Outdoor Caucus in Canada is now a reality. With representation from all political parties spanning every region of the country, it is the largest caucus in our Canadian Parliament with 95 members. Because of Phil’s dedication, we finally have a ‘voice’ in parliament representing our angling heritage.”
When asked about his dedication to the issues facing sportsmen on both sides of the border, Mr. Morlock replied, “Many of the issues which challenge the future of fishing and hunting are identical in Canada and the U.S. The common outdoor heritage we share with our elected representatives who hunt and fish is the key to the success of the non-partisan Caucus. We are all in this together.”
“A parliamentary caucus is only as effective as its connections with the constituency it serves,” said Garry Breitkreuz, M.P., co-chair of the Parliamentary Outdoors Caucus. “Phil Morlock’s role as a conduit between Parliament and Canada’s outdoors community has directly contributed to the success of the Outdoors Caucus. His hands-on approach has helped to build this group into the largest all-party caucus on Parliament Hill. Phil is now taking on the rigorous task of chairing the sub-committee we struck to create an outdoors heritage foundation. Its mandate will be to advise the Outdoors Caucus on hunting, fishing, trapping and sports shooting activities in Canada. Phil is poised to have a profound effect on these traditional Canadian heritage activities that will provide benefits for generations to come. We are indebted to him for sharing his focus, energy and expertise.”
Last December fourth at a breakfast sponsored by CSIA, fifty Members of Parliament (M.P.s) and Senators, members of the Parliamentary Outdoors Caucus, met to endorse the creation of an independent Canadian Outdoor Heritage Foundation and encouraged new members to join the caucus. The vote on the formation of the foundation passed unanimously and 17 members joined the caucus bring the total to ninety-five – 84 MPs and 11 Senators making the Outdoors Caucus the largest caucus in Parliament.
The Parliamentary Outdoor Caucus and the Canadian Outdoor Heritage Foundation are closely modeled on the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus (CSC) on Capitol Hill and the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) in Washington, DC.
Jeff Crane, President of the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation said, “Phil Morlock represents not only the fishing industry but the whole culture of fishing, hunting and the outdoors lifestyle in the U.S. and in Canada. We are proud to have him as a member of our Board of Directors and congratulate him on this well-deserved award.”
The Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus is the largest caucus in Congress comprised of 284 policymakers who set aside partisan politics to advance, promote and preserve the heritage and traditions of America’s 34-million fishermen, hunters and trappers.
About the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF)
The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation is the most respected and trusted proponent for hunters and fishermen in the political arena. With support from every major hunting and fishing organization, CSF is the leader in promoting sportsmen’s issues with elected officials. CSF works directly with the bi-partisan, bi-cameral Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus in the U.S. Congress, as well as affiliated state sportsmen’s caucuses in state legislatures around the country. For additional information, call 202-543-6850.By: Allan Ellis, Dir Communications
