Shaykeija
April 10th, 2008, 09:31 PM
Reeived this message from my MP.. What a load of crap...:frustrated::frustrated::frustrated:
Thank you for your letter of recent email regarding the commercial seal hunt.
Canada's sealing industry is tightly regulated to be sustainable, humane and commercially viable and to protect the traditional way of life for people in Canada's coastal communities. It is a time-honoured tradition and 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.
The Liberal Party supports a regulated, sustainable seal hunt and Liberal governments have worked hard to ensure the hunt is conducted in a safe and humane manner.
I would like to take the liberty of clarifying two common misconceptions surrounding the seal hunt. First, the image of the whitecoat harp seal is used prominently by seal hunt opponents. This image gives the false impression that vulnerable seal pups are targeted by sealers during the commercial hunt. In fact, the hunting of harp seal pups (whitecoats) and hooded seal pups (bluebacks) has been strictly illegal since 1987. Marine Mammal Regulations prohibit the trade, sale or barter of the fur of these pups. Furthermore, seals cannot be harvested when they are in breeding or birthing grounds.
Second, it was the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA) who indicated in 2002 that hakapiks, the tools used to hunt seals, are an efficient instrument that "is at least as humane as, and often more humane than, the killing methods used in commercial slaughterhouses, which are accepted by the vast majority of the public."
Regarding the issue of minimum observation distance, the Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans undertook a study of the Canadian seal harvest in late 2006-early 2007. They released their unanimously supported report in April 2007. Here is the link should you be interested in reading the report in full:
http://cmte.parl.gc.ca/cmte/CommitteePublication.aspx?COM=10480&Lang=1&SourceId=206172 <http://cmte.parl.gc.ca/cmte/CommitteePublication.aspx?COM=10480&Lang=1&SourceId=206172>
The all-party committee heard from several witnesses who are involved in various aspects of the industry. They concluded that:
"In the Committee's view, the buffer zone should be increased to maximize everyone's safety and to ensure order in the harvest. This could be done without sacrificing the quality of the observation. An observer equipped with modern binoculars would have little difficulty observing harvesting activities at a distance of 100 metres. An exception could be made for licensed qualified veterinarians. The Committee also strongly believes that for observers to be safe in areas where rifles are used, the buffer zone should be at least 400 metres."
I would also like to note that a February 2005 Ipsos-Reid poll concluded that 60 per cent of Canadians are in favour of a responsible seal hunt.
Thank you for taking the time to share your views on this important issue.
Sincerely,
Diane Marleau, P.C., M.P.
Sudbury
Thank you for your letter of recent email regarding the commercial seal hunt.
Canada's sealing industry is tightly regulated to be sustainable, humane and commercially viable and to protect the traditional way of life for people in Canada's coastal communities. It is a time-honoured tradition and 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.
The Liberal Party supports a regulated, sustainable seal hunt and Liberal governments have worked hard to ensure the hunt is conducted in a safe and humane manner.
I would like to take the liberty of clarifying two common misconceptions surrounding the seal hunt. First, the image of the whitecoat harp seal is used prominently by seal hunt opponents. This image gives the false impression that vulnerable seal pups are targeted by sealers during the commercial hunt. In fact, the hunting of harp seal pups (whitecoats) and hooded seal pups (bluebacks) has been strictly illegal since 1987. Marine Mammal Regulations prohibit the trade, sale or barter of the fur of these pups. Furthermore, seals cannot be harvested when they are in breeding or birthing grounds.
Second, it was the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA) who indicated in 2002 that hakapiks, the tools used to hunt seals, are an efficient instrument that "is at least as humane as, and often more humane than, the killing methods used in commercial slaughterhouses, which are accepted by the vast majority of the public."
Regarding the issue of minimum observation distance, the Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans undertook a study of the Canadian seal harvest in late 2006-early 2007. They released their unanimously supported report in April 2007. Here is the link should you be interested in reading the report in full:
http://cmte.parl.gc.ca/cmte/CommitteePublication.aspx?COM=10480&Lang=1&SourceId=206172 <http://cmte.parl.gc.ca/cmte/CommitteePublication.aspx?COM=10480&Lang=1&SourceId=206172>
The all-party committee heard from several witnesses who are involved in various aspects of the industry. They concluded that:
"In the Committee's view, the buffer zone should be increased to maximize everyone's safety and to ensure order in the harvest. This could be done without sacrificing the quality of the observation. An observer equipped with modern binoculars would have little difficulty observing harvesting activities at a distance of 100 metres. An exception could be made for licensed qualified veterinarians. The Committee also strongly believes that for observers to be safe in areas where rifles are used, the buffer zone should be at least 400 metres."
I would also like to note that a February 2005 Ipsos-Reid poll concluded that 60 per cent of Canadians are in favour of a responsible seal hunt.
Thank you for taking the time to share your views on this important issue.
Sincerely,
Diane Marleau, P.C., M.P.
Sudbury