Canada defiant in face of EU seal ban seal, ban, Canada, defiant, face

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Canada defiant in face of EU seal ban

Linda Nguyen and Meagan Fitzpatrick, National Post
Monday, Jul 27, 2009

Canada's Fisheries Minister Gail Shea (R) pauses during a news conference with Trade Minister Stockwell Day on Parliament Hill in Ottawa July 27, 2009. - Chris Wattie/Reuters

OTTAWA -- The federal government vowed Monday to appeal a European Union ban on the import of seal products, saying the move will not only hurt the livelihoods of the country's aboriginal and coastal communities, but is also in direct violation of World Trade Organization guidelines.

"We are very disappointed with this ruling," International Trade Minister Stockwell Day said at a news conference. "Canada's hunt is humane, scientific and follows environmental rules of sustainability."

Mr. Day said the government wants the EU to put a clause in the new bill allowing countries, such as Canada, to be exempt if their seal hunt meets international humanitarian, scientific and environmental guidelines established by the union in 2006.

In the meantime, Canada will pursue WTO consultations, which was expected to last 60 days. If by that time an agreement was not reached then Canada will file an official appeal and ask for a WTO dispute panel to make a ruling on its claim.

The majority of the EU's 27-member states gave final approval Monday during a meeting of the bloc's foreign ministers. Three ministers abstained from the vote, including Denmark and Romania. The third, Austria, did not vote because they called for an even stricter ban on the sealing industry.

The bill essentially eliminates all trade of seal product imports such as pelts, oil and meat -- a prohibition that would mean a $2.4-million loss for the Canadian industry, which is the largest in the world.

The bill was expected to come into effect by the next sealing season in spring 2010. Traditional hunts carried out by northern communities are exempt from the ban.

Fisheries and Oceans Minister Gail Shea also had some harsh words for the EU, accusing the union of acting irresponsibly in its decision and laying the blame directly on lobbyist groups with agendas.

"There is a clear lack of logic in focusing so much attention on this particular industry which is carried out sustainably and humanely and has been around much longer than any of the very lobbyists who are trying to stop it," she said at the news conference. "By looking at their website, this has become a cash cow for them, they can appeal to the emotions of the supporters who want to stop the seal hunt."

Ms. Shea said the groups portrayal of white coat pups as the animals targeted in Canada's seal hunt was misinformation, as these have not been hunted for more than two decades.

Instead, the ban will only hurt northern and eastern Canadian communities that have taken great efforts to demonstrate they follow humane seal hunting guidelines, established by independent veterinarians, she said.

Robert Courtney, president of the North of Smokey Fishermen's Association in Nova Scotia, said approval of the ban was a "bad day" for Canada's sealing industry.

"Our sealers hunt in the most controlled and monitored fisheries and for what, they [the EU] turned out and put a ban in place anyway," he said. "They have one goal and one goal only and it was to shut this down and it's not looking good."

Courtney said the ripple effects of the ban will be felt throughout the fishing industry, which will now have to compete with a growing seal population for catch.

But animal activist groups, who have been campaigning for such a move for decades, said this has been a long time in the making.

"We're absolutely thrilled," said Rebecca Aldworth of the Humane Society International Canada. "The European Union has spoken on behalf of its citizens. It is ending its trade on seal products and, in doing so, it is saving countless of seals the world over from a horrible fate."

Ms. Aldworth argued that the killing of seal pups under three months of age still continues, even though they may not still have white coats.

She urged the government to buy out commercial sealing licences in Canada and help the fishermen whose incomes will become affected by this ban.

"It's cost effective and will put more money into the pockets of fishermen of the seal hunt than commercial sealing ever would," said Ms. Aldworth.

According to the Fisheries Department, 5,000 to 6,000 people in Newfoundland and Labrador derive some income from sealing. Sealing is also practised in Quebec and elsewhere in Atlantic Canada, and by Canada's aboriginals. Some of these communities depend on the industry for as much as 35% of their income.

The Fisheries Department estimates the population of seals in Canada at 5.6 million animals. Earlier this year, a nationwide hunting quota was set at 280,000 harp seals, with the vast majority killed by gunfire.

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yoursecret

Canada should give up the EU market, it's a lost cause already. Instead sell to China their penis, pelt, fur, meat, bone, everything.