In the wake of a vote in the European Parliament the government of Canada has once again proven itself a champion at political doublespeak and dereliction of its duty to Canadian citizens.
This morning the European Parliament voted overwhelmingly in favor of a ban on seal products, a move that has branded Canada internationally as being inhumane to the animals, will see many fishermen suffer financial hardship and may ultimately lead to the further decline or all out extinction of already threatened fish stocks in the region.
In response the Canadian government said it plans to challenge the EU ban at the World Trade Council (WTO). Unfortunately, the government of Canada, while talking tough at home, still plans to move forward on detailed Free Trade negotiations with the European Union.
Starting tomorrow Canadian representatives will be in Prague to begin detailed Free Trade talks with the EU, and it has already been decided by the Canadian government that those talks will not include any discussion of the EU ban or its implications for Eastern Canada.
It’s clear from the position being taken by the government of Canada that they have no intention of doing anything beyond paying lip service to the demise of the an industry and a potential death blow to endangered fish stocks should predatory seal populations be allowed to increase unchecked.
By blustering and talking tough at home about a WTO challenge, Ottawa hopes to silence those directly impacted by the unfair actions taken in the EU, actions spurred on by misleading anti-sealing propaganda, but on the international stage nothing has changed.
The government of Canada still plans to move forward with Free Trade talks and has no intention of actually standing up to protect Canadians who will not only see an important part of their annual income wiped out in the short term, but may well lose their livelihoods completely if increased seal predation causes a further decline in commercial fish stocks.
In the wake of a vote in the European Parliament the government of Canada has once again proven itself a champion at political doublespeak and dereliction of its duty to Canadian citizens.
This morning the European Parliament voted overwhelmingly in favor of a ban on seal products, a move that has branded Canada internationally as being inhumane to the animals, will see many fishermen suffer financial hardship and may ultimately lead to the further decline or all out extinction of already threatened fish stocks in the region.
