This is my response to a ridiculous attempt by a ‘reporter’ to shame the WTO with their decision to uphold the ban on seal products by the European Union and his laughable attempt to support the federal government of Canada’s stance on seal hunts. Enjoy! The World Trade Organization (WTO) is in fact an organization dedicated to trade opening, a forum for governments to negotiate trade agreements and a place for them to settle trade disputes (kind of like mediation). The WTO is run by its member governments and the decisions it makes are made by the membership as a whole, be they government Trade Ministers, ambassadors or delegates. The WTO operates a system of trade rules. So the beginning of this footage is in fact more than a little misleading and not accurately being stated. The WTO did not “weigh” in on this seal hunt issue as suggested, typically countries bring disputes to the WTO for commercial reasons but Canada’s suit was not rooted in commercial considerations (it already knew that any commercial concessions won would do little to save the seal hunts because markets for seal products have been dwindling) — USA banned sale of seal products in 1972 followed by more than 30 countries, including Russia who banned seal products in 2011. Canada’s only hope then was to get an independent body to uphold and endorse the seal hunts as humane or at the very least to show that Canada’s “humane” hunting standards and labelling scheme were an alternative to ending the hunt. So why the surprise — it was a long shot with the current “enlightenment” governments are having in the treatment of domestic animals, let alone wild ones. What this ‘reporter’ does not state and people will not know unless they do a little research (if interested), is that while the WTO can uphold the ban, and can defend the rights of WTO members to take action against animal cruelty on moral grounds, the WTO’s Appellate Body does not have power to reverse a decision/ban. Ms. Shea’s response that the WTO decision was a surprise is ridiculous! They were well aware of the potential for this based on the initial ban by the EU. Did they really think that the WTO member’s would overturn the EU ban? Sure, the WTO decided to uphold the ban on a moral basis because the seal slaughters in Canada is the largest mass slaughter of a marine mammal species in the world and because morally and ethically Canada cannot ensure that the seals slaughtered are slaughtered in a humane way. The dangerous precedent that Ms. Shea is referring to, is that government’s the world over are finally listening to the public who voted them into power. The dangerous precedent is the “people” who no longer want to be “known” for their animal abuses. The dangerous precedent is that animal rights advocacy is growing and governments can no longer make a quick buck off of an animal as easily as they could when they could hide and cover up the atrocities committed in the name of “trade”. And the dangerous precedent Ms. Shea is referring to is people like me, well educated, well employed and opinionated people, who hold their governments accountable for the choices they make. The ‘reporter’ (ahem!) references very quickly and only in passing the aboriginal hunting rights for seals before referring to the fight to get seal products off the EU trade list as one of PETA (certainly!) and Brigitte Bardot (certainly!) but the biggest mistake this ignorant reporter makes is not mentioning the people in Canada and across the world that are against the seal hunts, whether they are in Canada, Russia, Namibia or any of the other countries still actively hunting seals. Thousands upon thousands of people the world over have grown a conscience and are awakening to the fact that the seal hunts are brutal, inhumane and not sustainable in any way, shape or form. This “moral” enlightenment is what scares the Canadian government and Ms. Shea so much. Canadians themselves are speaking out against the slaughters. Canadians are taking to the streets to demonstrate and protest against slaughters. And Canadians are writing and petitioning the EU and the WTO to uphold the ban, and this means three things for the Canadian government and Ms. Shea: 1. The people are growing more powerful and can now assist in enforcing changes, even when a government is against those changes; 2. The government can no longer ignore the outcry against the inhumane treatment of animals (wild and domestic) in Canada; and 3. The government of Canada will be held to a higher standard of moral and ethical behaviour. The reporter references Martin Sheen’s statement from 2007, on what the seal hunt in Canada is, “This year over 350,000 or more harp seal pups will cruelly be slaughtered on the ice flows off eastern Canada. Next year another 350,000 will die. They will be shot, drowned in nets, clubbed and sometimes skinned alive. This annual ritual of blood and slaughter must be stopped.” He says it is not his understanding that this is what the seal hunt is about. So my question is, does he ever tell you what his understanding of the seal hunt is? No, but Ms. Shea does and this is what she says, “This is certainly not what the seal hunt is about. Unfortunately these anti-sealing groups, I believe, stir the emotions of potential donors to get donations from them to keep their organizations going.” She then continues to support her position by repeating lines specifically prepared by a communications specialist assigned to the seal file at DFAIT. Lines that only speak to the government message they want shared on the issue. Ms. Shea goes so far as to say “..moral issue is being fed by misinformation”. But she doesn’t want to acknowledge some of the absolute truths that the anti-sealing organizations have found: “Canadians and the commercial seal hunt.” Angus Reid Group Inc. 1997. September 4. “The wise use philosophy.” Arnold, R. 1995.Blue Ribbon Magazine. December. “Battling the ban.” Baker, J. 2006. The Telegram. February 3, A1. “The plundered seas: Can the world’s fish be saved?” Berrill, M. 1997.,Vancouver, B.C.: Greystone Books. “Conservation betrayed.” Blake, R. n.d. Canada’s fishery, ed. J.Goodrich. Produced by the Center for Canadian Studies, Mount Allison University, in cooperation with Canadian Heritage Canadian Studies Program. “ Statement of witness.” Broom, D. 2005. Veterinary review of HSUS seal hunt video footage. Unpublished. “Veterinary report: Canadian commercial seal hunt.” Burdon, R.L., J. Gripper, J.A. Longair, I. Robinson, and D. Ruehlmann. 2001. Prince Edward Island. March. “Sealing through the years.” Canadian Geographic. 2000. “North Atlantic Fisheries ministers renew commitment to conservation.” Department of Fisheries and Oceans. 1995. “Mifflin disputes cod extinction status.” 1996 “Mifflin announces limited cod fishery re-openings.” 1997 “Seals and sealing in Canada 2006.” Fink, S. 2006. March. “1999 Conservation requirements for the Gulf of St. Lawrence ground-fish stocks and cod stocks in divisions 2gh and 3ps and science priorities.” Fisheries Resource Conservation Council. 1999. Ottawa, Ontario: FRCC. April. “The economics of the Canadian sealing industry.” Gallon, G. 2001. “Fur and aboriginal people.” Global Action Network. n.d. “Canada’s war on whales: Will the bowhead survive?” Goldberg, K. 2001. British Columbia, Canada: Canadian Marine Environment Protection Society. “Department of Industry report of the seal seminar. Seals in the marine ecosystem.” Greenland Home Rule. 2001. June, 57. “Harp seal populations in the northwestern Atlantic: Modeling populations with uncertainty. “Harris, S., C. Sousbury, and G. Iossa. 2005. “The rise and fall of animal rights: Holding activists accountable.” Herscovici, A. 1998. November. “Role of sciences in fisheries management. Meeting evidence.” House of Commons Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans. 1997. “Seal hunt costs Canada’s fishing industry millions.” 2006. September “Is scientific inquiry incompatible with government information control?” Hutchings, J.A., C. Walters, and R.L. Haedrich. 1997. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences. 53: 1198–1210. “Variation in sea ice cover on the east coast of Canada from 1969 to 2002: Climate variability and implications for harp and hooded seals.” Johnston, D.W., A.S. Frienlaender, L.G. Torres, and D.M. Lavigne. 2005. Climate Research 29: 209–222. “The killing of the harp seal pups. London: Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. April, 3–7.” Jordan, W.J. 1978. “Clubs are out in force for baby seals.” Krakauer, J. 1991. Brown fellas. Outside Magazine, December, 70. “Seals and fisheries, science and politics.” Krauss, C. 2004. New York Times. April 5, A1. Lavigne, D. 1995. “Harps and hoods: Ice-breeding seals of the Northwest Atlantic.” Lavigne, D., and K. Kovacs. 1988. “An ethical critique of the Canadian seal hunt and an examination of the case for import controls on seal products.” Linzey, A. 2006. Journal of Animal Law II: 87–119. “Ocean solitaire.” McKibben, B. 1998. Utne Reader. May–June: 60–65, 102–105. “The great auk.” Mersereau, V. 2000. Canadian Biodiversity Project. “Sea of slaughter.” Mersereau, V. 2000. Boston: Atlantic Monthly Press. Maximum population growth rates and recovery times for Atlantic cod, Gadus morhua.” Myers, R.A., G. Mertz, and P.S. Fowlow. 1997. Fisheries Bulletin 95: 762–772. “International panel calls for elimination of barriers to international trade in seal products.” North Atlantic Marine Mammal November 28. “The horror of the seal hunt.” Richardson, M. 2005. National Post. June 9, 20. “Sealing.” Ronald, K., and D.M. Lavigne. The Canadian encyclopedia. “Whaling.” Russell, D. 2002. “Commercial whaling in Newfoundland and Labrador to 1900; Commercial whaling in Newfoundland and Labrador in the 20th century.” Sanger, C.W., A.B. Dickinson, and W.G. Handcock. 1998. Newfoundland and Labrador Heritage “Harp seal populations in the western north Atlantic from 1950 to 1960.” Sergeant, D.E., and H.D. Fisher. 1960. Fisheries Reserve “Seal hunting in the Gulf of St Lawrence.” Board Canadian Arctic Unit. Circular No. 5. “Estimates of human-induced mortality in Northwest Atlantic harp seals, 1952–2004.” Stenson, G.B. 2005. CSAS research document. “The Atlantic Canada resource management catastrophe: A predator-prey consideration.” Tsoa, E. 1996. Canadian Journal of Economics/Revue canadienne d’Economique 29 (Special Issue: Part 1, April): S145–S150. “Harp seals: The hunt for balance.” Warne, K. 2004. National Geographic. March l, 63. And of course there is no end to the information available online and easily accessible to the average Joe and/or Jane: efsa.europa.eu/en/efsajournal/doc/610.pdf hsi.org/assets/pdfs/myths_and_facts_seal_hunt.pdf youtube/watch?v=VhiSVJs41R4 youtube/watch?v=r1E_X6c4c6A guardian.co.uk/environment/2 … l-products news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/8033498.stm So now that there will be less of a market for seal products in Europe, will Canada continue to slaughter close to 60,000 seals each year? Seals are in fact, an endangered animal? You bet they will! This upholding of the seal ban is not going to stop them. Sorry, you thought it would?
Posted on: Thu, 28 Nov 2013 18:47:16 +0000