Fisheries committee  As I understand it, there were some representatives from the Government of Nunavut. However, there were no representatives from the Government of the Northwest Territories. This was primarily due to a planning issue, but the Department of Fisheries and Oceans did not provide a hybrid option for participation: either people were there or they were not.

Fisheries committee  In the Îles‑de‑la‑Madeleine, there are certainly many professional hunters. The goal of our current discussions is to see how we could pass on the knowledge of the Îles‑de‑la‑Madeleine or Newfoundland and Labrador hunters to people who would like to become hunters in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick or Prince Edward Island.

Fisheries committee  That's one area on which, certainly I'd defer to the expertise of some of your previous witnesses, particularly Eldred Woodford from the Canadian Sealers Association. Looking towards the human resource issue that we are beginning to face in the sealing sector, we need more professional sealers.

Fisheries committee  I will say that the disjointed approach of the federal government—in which we have a market access secretariat at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, in which the trade commissioner service is living at Global Affairs, in which there is now an industrial development section at DFO, without having really any control of the program dollars that were moved from DFO to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada under AgriMarketing—is part of the problem.

Fisheries committee  A respectful Canadian seal hunt would be one that is based on our laws, our processes and the three steps that witnesses have spoken about in more detail at other committee meetings. It would also be a hunt that supports an industry that enables sealers and processors to sell a high quality product.

Fisheries committee  I think, honestly, the biggest benchmark for success would be that it shows that the government is making a concerted and comprehensive attempt to help the seal industry and to help the marine management of the northwest Atlantic. You've heard from other witnesses about how there was a forum in 2002 and another forum in 2005, and there was talk of one in 2013 that never happened.

Fisheries committee  I will say, Mr. Morrissey, that unfortunately I was not in attendance at the summit in 2002. I was 12 years old at the time, which speaks to part of the problem. I think that really ensuring access for Canadian seal products to international markets is a core priority of the trade service and of Global Affairs Canada that we cannot divorce—

Fisheries committee  From where we sit, this would require a whole-of-government approach. Just letting this be a DFO problem, continuing to shove it off on DFO and letting it sit in the line department is not a path toward success. We need full engagement from DFO, from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and, particularly, from Global Affairs Canada, the diplomatic corps and the trade commissioners.

Fisheries committee  There certainly is a market in the U.S. for fur. The U.S. is a big man on campus when it comes to economic activity. There will always be a market in the U.S. for fur.

Fisheries committee  I think that access to the U.S. market for any product is game-changing. Certainly, there's work to be done to sensitize American consumers to seal products for the benefits of seal products. We hear from our members that they get contacted on a very regular basis by Americans who come across their website and would like to buy seal products, but then it has to be explained to them that, sorry, we legally cannot send you these products.

Fisheries committee  I think that there are varying degrees of helpfulness from different levels of Global Affairs. That would be the simplest way to put it. Certainly, there are trade commissioners who are very helpful, and certainly the trade commissioner service in certain countries has been of great assistance.

Fisheries committee  I think it would. However, our bigger issue, certainly, is getting people exposed to the product and taking the taboo out of the product, more so than making the product more affordable.

Fisheries committee  Okay. Over the past 40 years, there has been much discussion about seal populations, which are increasing. As Fisheries and Oceans Canada moves toward ecosystem-based fisheries management, the role of seal predation is becoming increasingly important and must be considered. Ecosystem-based fisheries management cannot be left as it is and climate change must be taken into account.

Fisheries committee  Thank you very much for the question. The current most significant impediment to harvesting seals is a lack of market access for those products to be sold internationally.

Fisheries committee  Thank you very much. Good morning, everyone. My name is Doug Chiasson and I'm the executive director of the Fur Institute of Canada. The Fur Institute was created by Canada's wildlife ministers in 1983, and we're the national voice for Canada's fur sector. The institute is also home to the seals and sealing network, a coalition of sealing-related businesses, governments, indigenous organizations and harvester groups from coast to coast to coast.