This post was filed by the International Fund for Animal Welfare's Research Scientist Sheryl Fink.

Last week, we learned from Sandi in Newfoundland that several Members of Parliament from the Conservative Party of Canada were distributing these pro-seal hunt flyers to households across Atlantic Canada - including hers.  Sandi immediately recognized the numerous lies about Canada's commercial seal hunt and blogged about it. (Thanks for bringing it to our attention, Sandi, and for sending us a copy!)

Once we had recovered from the flyer's amateurish design and inaccurate information, we thought it would be fun to make up our own parody of the flyer which we are distributing in response. Even though it was the Conservative Party distributing the original flyer, we included a couple of prominent Liberals in ours, since the Liberal Party of Canada also supports the commercial seal hunt.

In fact, even though the majority of Canadian public opinion is opposed to the commercial seal hunt, every major political party in Canada supports it's continuation! The only exception is the Green Party of Canada which does not currently have any elected Members to the House of Commons.

Now, Canadian politicians have long known that promoting the seal hunt in Atlantic Canada is generally a sure-fire way to get votes during an election. Fortunately for the seals, this little flyer might have backfired.  Some newspaper editors in Newfoundland were either puzzled or even slightly annoyed by the flyer.

We wanted to let Atlantic Canadians know that if they are opposed to Canada's commercial seal hunt they are not alone. Millions of Canadians - and millions of people around the world - are opposed to this cruel, unsustainable, and unnecessary

 

 

Comments

[Adione]

I am so tired of politicians using the death of seals to try and garner votes from Atlantic Canada. For the seals sake hopefully the commercial slaughter of young seals will end and political types can use something else to get the people in Atlantic Canada to give them their votes.
Shame on the Conservative government for using our tax dollars to issue this flyer.

[Esyraia Jzy]

Unfortunately the Green Party are the only party that oppose the commercial seal hunt.

[Dena Brown]

This is heartless murder, cruel and unfortunately par for the course in a world where anyone is a meal or a coat or has commercial use. Where is there any humanity left on the planet? A safe community where every single life is as important as our own soul. To feel the terror of these beings, the shock, the loss of their family is equal to the the nightmare of the Nazi SS of WW2, or the abuse of any who cannot speak for themselves crying out in pain and hurt and rage.

[Milica Blagojevic]

I am disgusted by the Canadian governments latest attempts to promote the senseless slaughter of the beautiful seals.It must be stopped once and for all! Though it is the end of the hunting season, we must still continue to publicise this cruetly.

[Cathy]

Shame on the Canadian government for allowing this slaughter of innocent animals to continue despite outrage from around the world. How dare they try to justify allowing it to happen and how dare they act as if they have a right to do whatever they want to do regardless of the cruelty, inhumanity and pointlessness of it. Anyone who participates in this kind of cruelty, or who stands back and allows it to happen, must be scum of the earth. How do these people sleep at night when they're so vile?

[Bobbie Kraft]

I've been boycotting this atrocity since the mid-1970's!

Is there no end?

[chaudhuri]

i hate sealers!