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TORONTO — The Canadian Parliament's restaurant will serve seal meatthis week in support of hunters battling a European Union ban on sealproducts, a Liberal senator said Monday.
Celine Hervieux-Payette said Wednesday's seal meat lunch menu willallow politicians to demonstrate their backing for the annual hunt.
"Allpolitical parties will have the opportunity to demonstrate to theinternational community the solidarity of the Canadian Parliamentbehind those who earn a living from the seal hunt," she said in astatement.
The EU ban on seal imports was imposed last July on the grounds that Canada's annual hunt was inhumane.
The East Coast seal hunt, the largest in the world, kills an averageof 275,000 harp seals during mid-November to mid-May. The seals areeither shot or hit over the head with a spiked club called a hakapik.
Animal rights groups believe the hunt is cruel, poorly monitored andprovides little economic benefit. Seal hunters and Canadian authoritiessay it is sustainable, humane and provides income for isolatedcommunities.
The EU ban includes processed goods derived from seals, includingtheir skins – which are used to make coats, bags and clothing – as wellas meat, oil blubber, organs and seal oil, which is used in someomega-3 pills.
It exempts products derived from traditional hunts carried out byInuit in Canada's Arctic, as well as those from Greenland, Alaska andRussia.
Canada has requested consultations with the EU at the World TradeOrganization, which is the first step before launching an officialtrade challenge to salvage a Canadian industry valued at $10 millionCanadian dollars ($9.7 million) in exports last year.
Celine Hervieux-Payette said Wednesday's seal meat lunch menu willallow politicians to demonstrate their backing for the annual hunt.
"Allpolitical parties will have the opportunity to demonstrate to theinternational community the solidarity of the Canadian Parliamentbehind those who earn a living from the seal hunt," she said in astatement.
The EU ban on seal imports was imposed last July on the grounds that Canada's annual hunt was inhumane.
The East Coast seal hunt, the largest in the world, kills an averageof 275,000 harp seals during mid-November to mid-May. The seals areeither shot or hit over the head with a spiked club called a hakapik.
Animal rights groups believe the hunt is cruel, poorly monitored andprovides little economic benefit. Seal hunters and Canadian authoritiessay it is sustainable, humane and provides income for isolatedcommunities.
The EU ban includes processed goods derived from seals, includingtheir skins – which are used to make coats, bags and clothing – as wellas meat, oil blubber, organs and seal oil, which is used in someomega-3 pills.
It exempts products derived from traditional hunts carried out byInuit in Canada's Arctic, as well as those from Greenland, Alaska andRussia.
Canada has requested consultations with the EU at the World TradeOrganization, which is the first step before launching an officialtrade challenge to salvage a Canadian industry valued at $10 millionCanadian dollars ($9.7 million) in exports last year.