Green Party of Canada position on Commercial seal hunt:

The seal hunt is viewed by many people in Canada, and abroad, as an inhumane activity that is ecologically unsound and unsustainable. This is particularly true now that climate change has increased

pup mortality in spring due to thin ice and/or a lack of ice. The annual seal hunt is the largest killing of marine mammals anywhere on the planet. Its enormity threatens Canada’s overseas reputation for little local value. The Green Party does not support the current industrial, commercial seal hunt in Canada. We are not opposed to subsistence hunting by Aboriginal peoples and local communities. However, we consider seal hunting, like whaling, to be a threat to the marine ecosystem. The loss of ice due to climate change threatens seal populations and exacerbates what many believe is an already unsustainable level of hunting:

Green Party MPs will:

• End federal assistance to the commercial seal hunt and support an end to the seal hunt.
• Work with fishermen, fisheries unions and local communities to develop a fair federal buyout of sealing licenses.
• Work with local communities affected to implement training programs and other resources needed to enhance a sealing industry buyout.
• Work with other levels of government to find sustainable economic alternatives for sealers and their communities, and provide full compensation to sealers for lost income.