Dear Sir/Madam:
Thank you for your email concerning Bill S-229, which would prohibit seal hunting in Canada.
The Liberal Party of Canada recognizes this is a sensitive issue for both those concerned about the ethical treatment of animals as well as those for whom seal hunting is a source of livelihood.
We support a balanced and sustainable approach to the seal hunt, and Liberal governments in the past have worked hard to ensure the hunt is conducted in a safe and humane manner. Studies conducted in conjunction with the World Wildlife Federation and the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association have both concluded that the hunts as currently conducted are humane.
The seal hunt is an important industry for thousands of Canadians throughout the North, Atlantic Canada and Quebec. Seals have been harvested for food, fuel, shelter and other materials for hundreds of years and the subsistence hunt is a valuable link to Canadian cultural heritage.
However, we believe this traditional industry must be tightly regulated to be both sustainable and humane. Canada’s seal population is healthy and abundant – the harp seal herd is estimated to be in excess of five million animals, nearly triple the population of the 1970s. We will work to ensure that the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) continues to set responsible quotas designed to ensure the health and abundance of seal herds.
Although banning the seal hunt is not the position of the Liberal Party, or any other major Canadian political party, any member can introduce a private member’s bill. These continue to be free votes within our Party.
To learn more about the commercial seal hunt and the myths surrounding it, I invite you to visit the website of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans at: http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/fm-gp/seal-phoque/myth-eng.htm
Thank you for taking the time to share your views on this important issue.
Yours truly,
Joseph A. Day
Senator
About Me
- Shiananda
- Peace and Love For All Animals. Let us create earth the way the divine plan was intended. All life once lived in Eden, humans have created Hell. We can exchange hell for heaven with each simple action we take, each inspiration we evoke, each pleasure we ensure is not at the expense of another.