20.3.10

Petition Demanding Resignation of Gail Shea

Please Add your name and a short personal comment to this petition asking for the resignation of the Canadian Minister of Fisheries Gail Shea who is acting in a completely reckless and abusive way towards the ocean habitat.  http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/canadian_seal_hunt/



For decades the Canadian Fisheries staff (and the respective minister) have claimed to properly set sealing quotas based on conservation principals. Expanding the quota yet again, in spite of catastrophic sea ice scarcity, shows the conservation lie for what it is. The seal hunt is supposed to start in a few days from time of this publishing (March 18), and the quota has increased to 330,000. The sealers can kill an additional 50,000 seals over last year’s quota. Gail Shea (of the Conservative party), the current Minister of Fisheries, continues to claim the quota is based on conservation principals; maybe she means conserving sealer votes for the federal election. 
The government needs to earn their votes by following the wishes of the majority of Canadians (whom polling has consistently shown are against the hunt). There's no market for seal products this year, and with almost no useable sea ice, it's more expensive than ever to hunt seals; with little or no economic value from killing seals this year, the seal hunt is more of a waste in 2010 than any previous year.
The quota this year is outrageously reckless, and an abuse of responsibility; we demand the resignation of the (dis)Hon. Canadian Minister of Fisheries, Gail Shea

16.3.10

Why is Canada Still Killing Seals?

Canada's Shame from Peta

Most people would agree that there is something terribly wrong with shooting and smashing in the skulls of baby seals, yet despite international outrage, the Canadian government allows sealers to beat and skin hundreds of thousands of these gentle creatures every year. So why is Canada killing seals?

The seal slaughter exists because of the overall demand for fur. During Canada's annual war on seals, sealers routinely hook live seals in the eye, cheek, or mouth to avoid damaging the fur, then they drag the seals across the ice. Many of these gentle creatures may not even have eaten their first solid meal or taken their first swim before they are slaughtered for their skin.

In 2009, the European Union voted to end the sale of seal products, and the U.S. Senate unanimously passed U.S. Senate Resolution 84, calling for an immediate end to the annual seal slaughter. It's time for Canada to wake up! And with the help of caring people like you, we can put an end to the slaughter once and for all.