QUESTION PERIOD — Fisheries and Oceans
Seal Products
June 18, 2024
My question is for the Government Representative in the Senate.
Senator Gold, the European Union’s ban on trade in seal products is being reviewed for the first time since it was put in place 15 years ago. This is good news. As quoted in our committee report entitled Sealing the Future: A Call to Action, Zoya Martin, Director, Fisheries and Sealing with the Government of Nunavut, said:
There is a need for real and effective investment in an educational campaign in Canada, and worldwide, to correct the misinformation and the lies on sealing. . . .
The CBC article on the EU’s seal ban review attributes a lack of information, along with misinformation, as the reasons for the ongoing ban. Those must also be addressed domestically.
Will the government commit to taking action on recommendation 5 of our seal report, which calls for a national education campaign?
Thank you for your question, senator, and for your advocacy on this subject.
The government is appreciative of the Senate and its study, and is actively reviewing the recommendations in the Senate report. I should add that the government recognizes that Canada has the opportunity to be a leader in the seal product industry, which is an industry that, as it grows, will bring prosperity to more and more fishing communities in this country.
Senator Gold, will the government be providing a submission to the EU in support of repealing the ban, or will the government at least be supporting the territories’ submissions in their efforts to repeal the ban in some way?
Thank you.
Let me be clear: The government supports the growth of the Canadian seal products market and will take appropriate action to further that objective. It will continue to work closely with industry leaders, harvesters and Indigenous communities to explore opportunities to further develop the market for Canadian seal products.
