Evidence of meeting #13 for Fisheries and Oceans in the 39th Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was seals.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Coordinator, Sir James Dunn Animal Welfare Centre, Atlantic Veterinary College, University of Prince Edward Island and member of the Animal Welfare Committee of the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association, Independant Veterinarians' Working Group
I think that was a comment made by some members of the committee. There wasn't a consensus, but it was one of the things observed in the discussion—that it was a possibility, that it could be a problem for some officers.
Conservative
Randy Kamp Conservative Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge—Mission, BC
This is my last question.
Your group is ongoing, and you have a timeline of things you plan to do if you find the money to do them. What assistance do you need? Is there any way this committee could assist you as you do your report?
Department of Health Management and Centre for Aquatic Health Sciences, Atlantic Veterinary College, University of Prince Edward Island, Independent Veterinarians' Working Group
That's a very good point. I'm very happy to hear that.
We have many projects and ideas of things we could do. But once again, the hunt is very short, and it is very hard, for example, for a coast guard vessel to have scientific objectives and, at the same time, control and also ensure the safety of the people around them.
We would probably have to discuss that with the others, but we can bring you many ideas of how you could at least facilitate us in this process. But already Fisheries and Oceans are very good....
Coordinator, Sir James Dunn Animal Welfare Centre, Atlantic Veterinary College, University of Prince Edward Island and member of the Animal Welfare Committee of the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association, Independant Veterinarians' Working Group
It's unfortunate, because when we talk about remaining independent, where do you get funding or assistance where it's still considered not to be compromising you? You mentioned bringing in Pamela Anderson. Well, we don't see ourselves as on one extreme or the other, but certainly the IFAW group sees our group as tainted and probably on the side of DFO, and yet DFO is a Canadian government organization itself that I believe does have credibility. Again, perception is such a huge part of it.
But we would be happy to consult the group to see if we could come up with an idea we could propose.
Conservative
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Gerald Keddy
Thank you, Dr. Crook and Dr. Caraguel, for appearing at committee today. It's much appreciated.
I think you get some feeling for the time we've spent on this subject. We had a sealing report put out a few years ago, and we're redoing it this time around.
I was at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe this spring. We spoke directly with some of our European counterparts, and there was a huge gap between us. I hesitate to speak for the committee in that we're all pro-sealing, but I think I can say that. Certainly our last report recommended a continued hunt, and without trying to prejudge this report, I expect we'll probably be headed there again.
Importantly for those members of the committee who have never been to an abattoir or who didn't grow up on a farm, as many of us did, I have used this comment many times. One of my brother-in-law's first jobs as an RCMP officer was to supervise the hunt back in the 1950s. He was a hunter and certainly used to being around the woods, but he thought it was a very bloody hunt because of the red blood on the white ice. That's an image I don't think we can counteract in the short term--or maybe never.
The thing that came out very clearly for me today—and we'll see where the committee goes at the end of the report—is the fact that the hakapik is a useful tool and probably more humane than some of the alternatives. I would have tended to go towards some of the alternatives to get away from the image of the sealer with the hakapik in the air. But it's quite obvious to me that it's not just humane but probably more humane than some of the alternatives.
Perhaps if we also looked at what other jurisdictions are doing, such as Norway, where the seals are shot and then the hakapik is used even on the shot seals, and your recommendation that we look at more of an open window, a longer timeframe for the hunt, to take some of the competitiveness out of it, maybe all of that combined could help alleviate the 2% of seals that perhaps are killed inadequately.
I want to thank you very much for your presentation. It was very helpful to our study. Thank you.
This meeting is adjourned.