Written by Jeff Mackey
As we mentioned recently, the EU has issued a ruling that upholds its ban on products from the bloody annual Canadian seal massacre. Now the only remaining challenge to that ban rests with the World Trade Organization (WTO), which just concluded its hearings—with PETA in attendance—and things didn't go well for Canada.
During the hearings, the EU demonstrated that it is not possible to ensure that the seals are unconscious when they are killed. Canada tried to argue that seals decimate cod populations (which local fishers want for themselves), but the EU pointed out that science has shown that the decline of fish populations can be blamed on reckless overfishing.
In the end, if the hearings weren't so important, they might have seemed like a bad joke: Canada succeeded only in calling attention to its own marine mismanagement. This may finally sound the death knell for Canada's seal slaughter, since even its one-time supporters have acknowledged that it has become untenable. We'll keep you posted here at The PETA Files.
Thanks are due to all the good folks who expressed their concerns to the WTO on behalf of PETA or PETA UK, including Jude Law, Pamela Anderson, Joan Jett, Iggy Pop, and Sarah McLachlan. They asked the organization to uphold the ban and/or urged the WTO to hold open hearings—which it did, making it possible for a PETA representative to be present.
The end is in sight, but we can't slack off now—please tell Canadian officials that it's time to stop the slaughter, and then spread the word to get more people involved today.
Written by Michelle Kretzer
Canada has tried every trick in the book to get around the European Union's ban on seal fur. But it isn't having much luck.
The most recent ruse was to try to convince the General Court of the European Union to overturn the ban on the grounds that it hurt the Inuit people's livelihood—even though the EU ban makes a very clear exemption for the Inuit, who kill a tiny fraction of seals in Canada.
The group that brought the court case was led by the Fur Institute of Canada. As the case progressed, the group also used a number of deceptive tactics to try to rope PETA into weighing in on the Inuit's actions in a thinly veiled bid to try to make us say something inflammatory that it could use to bolster its weak court case. Among other things, it pretended to be documentarians and reporters, requested PETA speakers at schools, and directly contacted some of our volunteers. But we didn't want to jeopardize this historic ruling, so we kept mum. That's not easy for PETA to do, but it paid off!
This recent court victory may also help the World Trade Organization (WTO) as it considers yet another challenge that Canada has brought against the EU ban. The WTO will have its final hearing on the case in a few days and will return a decision soon afterward. But compassionate people around the world, including Jude Law and Pamela Anderson, are urging the WTO to honor Europeans' wishes and uphold the ban.
Perhaps instead of spending millions of dollars to prop up the fading sealing industry and millions more trying to force countries to resume buying cruel products that they obviously don't want, Canada should devise a practical exit strategy: a government buyout.
Here's how you can help.
Written by Alisa Mullins
Just days after the start of Canada's annual seal slaughter, Anna Karenina star Jude Law appealed to the World Trade Organization (WTO) on PETA UK's behalf, urging panelists to uphold the EU-wide ban on seal fur. The WTO's final hearing on the issue will be held on April 29.
© StarMaxInc.com
I'm writing to urge the panel to uphold this ban, which is in line with the wishes of compassionate people all around the world, including the majority of European citizens," wrote Law in his letter to the WTO. "Even local sentiment is turning, and a lack of markets has led Canadian officials to seriously examine whether the slaughter should end.
Because of the worldwide outcry, all major markets have banned seal-fur imports, including the EU, Mexico, Taiwan, the U.S., and even Russia, which had been importing 95 percent of Canada's seal fur. The Canadian government is challenging the EU ban as a last-ditch effort to try to revive the trade.
"The purpose of the WTO is to support efficient markets, not government decisions to prop up dying industries like the seal slaughter," Law points out. "Rather than using the WTO to prop up a dying industry, Canada should pursue a buyout of the commercial sealing industry – a move that would help both seals and sealers. The world is watching and waiting – please uphold the EU ban."
What You Can Do
We have reached a tipping point in the campaign but still need your help. Please speak up for seals by taking action.
For being the first Canadian parliamentarian in history to introduce a bill to phase out Canada's cruel commercial seal slaughter and for his tenacity in promoting the legislation in the Senate, Sen. Mac Harb has been named PETA's first-ever Canadian of the Year.
A native of Lebanon, Harb moved to Canada to attend the University of Ottawa. In 2003, he was appointed to the Canadian Senate after serving in Ottawa city government and in the House of Commons. During his tenure as a member of parliament, he held prominent positions overseeing matters of international trade, making him especially qualified to understand the issues surrounding the seal massacre on the global market. No fewer than 33 countries have banned the trading of seal products.
In 2009, Harb introduced a bill to limit the East Coast seal slaughter to people with aboriginal treaty rights, but no other senator would second the measure. As the lone voice for the seals, Harb was brave, but what he did then was even braver—he kept at it, with patience and perseverance. He introduced the measure again in 2010. This time, the motion was seconded, but other senators stopped it from being debated.
So, on May 2, 2012, Sen. Harb again reintroduced Bill S-210 to phase out the commercial seal massacre. Finally, the Senate unanimously agreed to consider the bill. On June 14, as Sen. Harb moved for a second reading of the bill, opening it for debate in the Senate, he set forth his case. Here are some excerpts from that speech:
When I continue my remarks on Bill S-210, I will focus on the following issues: The status of the commercial seal hunt and the fact that there are no viable markets for commercially hunted seal products; the fact that our primary and secondary trading partners, the United States and the EU, as well as many other countries around the world, have banned the importation of commercial seal products; the fact that the majority of Canadians want an end to the commercial seal hunt; the fact that, out of 14,000 issued commercial seal fishing licences, only an estimated 225 sealers took part in the 2011 commercial hunt, highlighting the de facto end of the hunt. … Science will show that it was government inaction and misguided action on the fishery that was responsible for the depletion of the cod stocks and its continuing struggle to recover. The seals are not responsible. … Instead of working against animal welfare groups and environmental organizations, let us join hands with them to share ideas and resources and find answers that will actually help the communities in Atlantic Canada and in Canada's North. Answers will ensure that Canada fulfills its national and international commitment to sustain marine biodiversity and to ensure we have healthy, safe and prosperous oceans now and in the future.
PETA is enthusiastically supporting Sen. Harb's measure and has garnered the support of celebrities such as Pink, Ellen DeGeneres, and British Columbia native Pamela Anderson. Other concerned and compassionate Canadians can join PETA in honouring Sen. Harb by encouraging their senators to support Bill S-210 today.
When Russia banned the import of all harp-seal products from Canada, it wasn't because lawmakers thought that they would get flowers from Pamela Anderson if they did so. But that's certainly not a bad perk.
© Taylor Hill
Pamela found herself in a new role as diplomat this week when she joined PETA Vice President Dan Mathews at the Russian Consulate in New York City, where they met with trade officials to bolster Russia's ban on seal fur from Pamela's native Canada.
"We are very proud that our country joined the U.S., the European Union, and Mexico in refusing to support the shooting and bludgeoning of baby harp seals," said Russia's Deputy Trade Representative Timofey S. Borodin, who along with Senior Consul Sergey Logachev, accepted a bouquet of pink roses from Pamela as thanks for their country's legislation.
Pamela had led an international appeal on PETA's behalf to urge the country to stop supporting the barbaric killing of seals in her native Canada, and it took just one year for Russia to pass the ban. And since Russia had been importing 95 percent of the seal pelts that Canada sold, well, it isn't hard to see what that did to the market for seal fur.
The slaughter suffered another blow when Canadian Sen. Mac Harb introduced legislation to end it. You can help seals by e-mailing Canadian lawmakers and asking them to support this momentous bill.
Sen. Mac Harb of Ontario is Canada's first-ever elected official to introduce a bill to end the commercial seal slaughter, and now he is Canada's first-ever elected official to receive a PETA award! Sen. Harb graciously accepted his Humanitarian Award at a ceremony Saturday in New York.
Photo: Kurt Leggard
He also wrote about the award and his bill on The Huffington Post, saying:
Animal advocacy groups such as PETA have played an important role in moving us into the future. When I introduced my bill, PETA rounded up support from prominent Canadians as diverse as Sarah McLachlan and Pamela Anderson and from international figures, including Pink, Bill Maher, and Ellen DeGeneres, all of whom—along with their throngs of fans in Canada and around the world—contacted Canadian senators urging them to support the bill and end the slaughter. As a result of overwhelming support, my bill was seconded, and the Senate recently unanimously consented to continuing this debate in the coming months. This is historic, and every single person who has taken action has made a difference.
This is the closest that we have ever come to ending the barbaric bludgeoning, shooting, and skinning of baby seals for their fur.
© Sea Shepherd Conservation Society
Help make Sen. Harb's bill law. E-mail Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Liberal Leader Bob Rae, and New Democratic Party Leader Thomas Mulcair and ask for their support for Bill S-210.
As PETA pal Bill Maher prepares to perform in Alberta and British Columbia, he's proved that he's a stand-up guy in a different sense by sending a letter to Bob Rae, leader of Canada's Liberal Party, urging him to support Sen. Mac Harb's bill to end the commercial seal slaughter.
Photo courtesy of Bill Maher
Bill joins celebrities, including Pamela Anderson, Pink, Olivia Munn, Russell Simmons, Tommy Lee, Alicia Silverstone, Dave Navarro, Joanna Krupa, Megan Park, and many others, who have voiced their support for the momentous bill and encouraged their fans to do the same.
Bill has been a vocal opponent of the annual seal massacre, and his letter comes just weeks after the Senate agreed to continue the debate. Many appeals have already been made to the conservatives, who hold a majority, so Bill chose to address the Liberal Party, mentioning that he hadn't expected much from the conservatives but that he "had hoped for more" from the liberals.
Be like Bill—compassionate Canadians can contact their senators directly, but no matter where you're from, please urge Canada's leaders to support Sen. Harb's bill today.
As Canadian Sen. Mac Harb prepared to address the Senate about his bill to phase-out the seal slaughter last week, he got some unexpected support from another well-known Ontario native.
Photo: Don Flood|Hair: Giannandrea for The Wall Group|Makeup: Gloria Noto for Jed Root
The Secret Life of the American Teenager star Megan Park is proud to hail from Canada, and she wrote to each senator in her native Ontario on PETA's behalf expressing her support for Bill S-210 and urging the senators to pass it:
Since I play a teenager on TV, I know that young people everywhere are becoming increasingly aware of issues that affect animals, and like me, they don't want to see baby seals bludgeoned and skinned alive to make fur coats.
The Senate voted unanimously to continue debate on the bill. From American teenagers to Russian prime ministers to Canadian actors to British rockers, the world is sending Canada a message that is loud and clear: It's time to end the seal slaughter. If you haven't already done so, please add your voice to the chorus today.
Twitter cofounders Biz Stone and Evan Williams are putting their money where their beaks are, backing Beyond Meat, a company that produces cruelty-free faux meats. Now, every time cruel meat-peddling companies such as McDonald's use Twitter, they'll actually be helping to support the vegan cause!
Photo: Frank W. Ockenfels 3 For Solo Artist: Hair by David Gardner Makeup by Spencer Barnes
Tricia Helfer is tweeting to help end the Canadian seal slaughter and wearing her PETA pride on her sleeve chest:
After rescuing a dog himself, Josh Duhamel is a proud rescue advocate: "Pet adoption changed my life when we were looking to find a companion for our 7-year-old dachshund, Zoe. Soon after adopting Meatloaf, I learned that these pets are just grateful for the love you have to give them."
Yvonne Strahovski will be taking her animal rights advocacy to a killer new venue, as she will be appearing on season seven of Dexter, and Waka Flocka Flame's new album, Triple F Life, which debuted this week, is decidedly free of one "f" ("fur") and full of another ("fun").
Last week after Canadian Sen. Mac Harb announced that he would introduce a bill to end the seal slaughter, PETA immediately posted an action alert on our website asking our members to urge Canadian senators to support the bill. You responded in droves: Within two days, some 50,000 of you asked them to pass the bill and end the slaughter. Hollywood jumped in, too, and soon a link to our action alert had reached millions of people via Twitter.
Sam Simon, Stephanie Pratt, Jessica-Jane Clement, Joanna Krupa, Angela Simmons, Laura Vandervoort, Sheneka Adams, Jayde Nicole, Elisabetta Canalis, and Jessica Veronica, also tweeted their support, and before the bill had even been introduced, the worldwide support for it was evident.
With public support for the bill obviously so overwhelming, Sen. Larry Campbell seconded it after it was introduced, and the Senate voted almost unanimously to hear arguments on it. The bill will now be debated, so we still need everyone to continue to e-mail Canada's senators and urge them to support this historic piece of legislation.
If you have a general question for PETA and would like a response, please e-mail Info@peta.org. If you need to report cruelty to an animal, please click here. If you are reporting an animal in imminent danger and know where to find the animal and if the abuse is taking place right now, please call your local police department. If the police are unresponsive, please call PETA immediately at 757-622-7382 and press 2.
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