Hello everyone,

this is a copy of a thread I think I posted in the wrong place, so if you have already read it, I apologise!

I am sure most of you are aware of the dilemma facing Canada's government these days. the renewal of their seal hunting this year has been painfully paraded on the news, and concern has been raised as to the humanity of it all.

Can Canada afford to portray itself as barbaric cullers of seal life without it diminishing in some way its collective human spirit? In the 21st century, should we not be able to find more humane ways of killing, or is the killing itself truly justified? Canadian government officials claim that the cull is necessary in order to ensure the fish population remains plentiful for their trade, but just how plausible is that in the light of the obscene amounts of money they get from the pelts of seal pups?

whether one is an animal lover or not is beside the point. Canada has raised an important issue that countries will be coming into contact with more and more these days. And the issue is very much a moral one. Can we afford to sit on the fence without somehow being tarred with the same brush? Britain has had a history of doing this, but its reputation has suffered because of it (remember Palestine in the 1940's). If we as a nation continue to promote the trade of seal products in the EU, are we not guilty as accessories to the fact? are we not providing the fuel for this fire?