Seal slaughter does not make dollars or sense

For some Canadian politicians, courage from their conviction seems to appear only when they are relegated to the opposition benches.

In this version of As the World Turns, Mac Harb, a Chretien loyalist who was made a Senator after a stint on the Liberal side of the House of Commons, plans to introduce legislation calling for a ban on the controversial commercial seal hunt in Canada.

Among the many public hats he wore, Harb was Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Trade from December 1993 until 1995. But there was nary a protest peep then when the baby seals were being clubbed to death for their pelts.

Now, however, Harb wants to effectively end the commercial seal hunt.

He says last year’s $7 million hunt divided among the 6,000 estimated sealers averaged about $1,100 each, before expenses. A paltry sum, he says, next to the true costs to our national economy and our international prestige.

Harb’s effort, although late, is better than never.

It marks the first time a Canadian politician has introduced legislation to end what has been described as the largest remaining marine mammal slaughter in the world.

But it won’t succeed because motions like this never do in our democracy. If this motion was pushed when Harb was on the ruling side in Ottawa, perhaps Canada could have stopped this cruel hunt a long time ago.

As expected, those is power - and this time it’s the Stephen Harper Tories - have rushed out in defense of this bloody industry.

Gail Shea, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, says Harb’s proposal undermines Canada’s ongoing efforts abroad to defend the legitimacy of the seal hunt at a time when Canada is facing proposals to ban seal products in Europe and elsewhere.

Besides having been a source of food, fuel and shelter for hundreds of years, seal products continue to be commodities sought after by consumers in Canada, Europe and Asia, said Shea, adding that the seal hunt is an economically viable activity representing a valuable source of income for thousands of individuals in remote towns and villages.

That maybe the case, but the seal hunt is an archaic and brutal industry that gives Canada a black eye.

The economic benefits from baby seals being slaughtered on Canadian ice floes comes to naught if taxpayers have to continue pumping in dollars to subsidize the industry and counter the international campaigns mounted by animal rights’ groups.

This week, Hong Kong superstar Karen Mok follows in the footsteps of the legendary Paul McCartney to shame Canada for allowing the seal hunt.

In addition, the vocal animal rights’ organization PETA is hoping to draw attention to the annual Canadian seal hunt by linking it to the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, B.C.

PETA is already using the Games logo and five rings, which are jealously guarded by the Olympic family, to showcase its campaign.

This year, another 300,000 defenseless seal pups, mostly less than three months old, will be clubbed to death and the highly disturbing video footage of the kills will be spread around the world making a mockery of Canada’s image as a land of enduring peace and natural beauty.

This carnage on the ice comes as Russia imposes a ban on its seal hunt and while the European Union grapples with a proposed seal products ban.

Ottawa estimates the EU ban, which is likely, could cut in half the annual value of the seal hunt to some 6,000 sealers in the country.

From a dollars and sense standpoint, Canada needs to put an end to this senseless slaughter now.