The 2012 Canadian seal hunt has started.
Through the 80s and 90s, the Canadian government provided $30 million Canadian in subsidies to support the sealing industry.
This year, the Canadian government has paid fur companies to buy harp seal furs, even though there's no market for them.
This year, the Newfoundland government has granted a 'repayable' loan of $3.6 million Canadian to Carino Processing to purchase harp seal 'raw material' for seal products to meet 'market demands'; the trouble is, there is no market demand, so the taxpayer will end up with the bill.
400,000 harp seal furs are already stockpiled world-wide, with this years seal skins only adding to that total.
China doesn't want the furs, and there's no other potential markets either.
This year the the government has issued the permission for adults and pups to be killed.
Back in 2010, half of Newfoundland sealers were in favour of a seal industry buy-out; as the prospects of the sealing industry become dimmer every year, the percentage of sealers in favour of a buy-out could only be even greater.
We need to keep fighting these outrageous acts against animals, it's wrong and shouldn't be allowed to happen. It's very clear that the Canadian and Newfoundland governments don't respect the environment. We seriously need to give the Harper government the message that we are not going to back down.
We the undersigned are beyond fed up with the government wasting our money, being dishonest, and for outrageously exploiting seals and sealers for East coast votes. The majority of Canadians are against the seal hunt, and the seal hunt is no longer a viable industry. Stop paying fur companies to buy harp seal pelts, and instead organize a sealer buy-out plan to end the waste of Canadian money.
