Muskrat hats: Fur group lobbied ministers over RCMP tuque trade-in plan
Fur institute pleased by government's strong support
A national fur lobby says it raised objections with federal ministers upon learning the RCMP planned to begin outfitting officers with tuques instead of muskrat hats.
Glen Doucet of the Fur Institute of Canada says the organization made its concerns known to the environment and public safety ministers after seeing a recent media report about the move.
Environment Minister Leona Aglukkaq announced Tuesday the government was ordering the Mounties to keep wearing the customary winter headgear.
The fur institute says its members — who follow conservation principles — appreciate the government's strong support.
The RCMP wrote to an animal-rights group in early August to say it had tested a tuque that works well in normal winter conditions, and that it would supply the new hat to cadets.
The Association for the Protection of Fur-Bearing Animals had encouraged the Mounties to find a replacement for the muskrat hat, saying the animals are caught in body-gripping traps that leave them exposed to numerous hazards before they die.