From a harvester's point of view, the seal hunt in Iqaluit and in Nunavut is a food harvest. The skins are a byproduct. For a number of years they would harvest the seal, skin it, and throw the skin away because there was no commercial value to it. That, to me, is a total disgrace and a total lack of respect for the animal. If you're going to harvest an animal, I think it's our responsibility.... Yes, it's a food harvest. That's their beef, to put it simply. They are not going to raise cattle north of the tree line. It's simply not going to happen. But they have seals that have been part of their culture for thousands of years. To take somebody who has a purpose in life...harvesting seals enables them to provide for their families. Their food is the seal, the skins bring money for other things, so to have them basically throw the seals away, does that make sense to anybody in this room?
On April 23rd, 2015. See this statement in context.