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Write Letters to Politicians and Businesses that Can End the Seal Hunt

"Mr. Speaker, I would like to see the six million, or whatever number is out there, killed or sold, or destroyed or burned. I do not care what happens to them. The fact is that the markets are not there to sell more seals. What they (the fishermen) wanted was to have the right to go out and kill the seals. They have that right, and the more they kill the better I will love it." - John Efford, former Canadian Minister of Natural Resources and MInister of Fisheries and Oceans

Harpseals.org provides contact information and automated emails for Canadian and Namibian politicians, government agencies, and companies that are involved in killing seals or that can help end the seal "hunt."

Supermarkets and restaurants that we list here sell Canadian seafood. Help us urge them to join the boycott of Canadian seafood.

Let the Canadian tourist agencies and businesses know that you will not visit Canada or patronize their business until the seal hunt ends. We hope that tourist companies will pressure their government representatives to ban the seal hunt.

We also list the fashion houses that have used seal fur in their designs. Please let them know that you will not buy any of their products if they use seal fur in their collections.

Please Note: Emails and contact information can change. If your email bounces back due to an incorrect email address, please let us know. Please also check the web sites that we list to see if new contact information is provided there.

Politicians / Government Leaders

Send Canadian government leaders emails about the east coast seal "hunt" and killing seals and sea lions on both coasts.

This one focuses on the brutality of the seal hunt:

This one focuses on environmental issues, in response to Canada's commitment to biodiversity following the COP 15 meeting in Montreal:

Canadian Government Leaders

Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada

Ottawa Office:

House of Commons
Ottawa, Ontario
Canada
K1A 0A6
Telephone: 613-995-0253
Fax: 613-947-0310

Constituency Office:

1100 Crémazie East, Suite 220
Montréal, Quebec H2P 2X2
Telephone: 514-277-6020
Fax: 514-277-3454

Email justin.trudeau@parl.gc.ca

The Honourable Joyce Murray, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard

Ottawa Office:

House of Commons
Ottawa, Ontario,
Canada
K1A 0A6
Telephone: 613-992-2430
Fax: 613-995-0770

Main office - Vancouver
2112, West Broadway
Suite 206
Vancouver, British Columbia
V6K 2C8
Telephone: 604-664-9220
Fax: 604-664-9221

Email: joyce.murray@parl.gc.ca

Canadian Department of Agriculture and Agri-Food

The Membertou Development Corporation in Nova Scotia was awarded CAN$100,000 by the Agriculture and Agri-Food Department as a semifinalist in the Food Waste Reduction Challenge. This corporation is killing grey seals for the purpose of reducing their population (i.e., culling them) and creating a market for the carcasses. They are focusing on producing food for cats, dogs, pigs, and cows with the seal carcasses. If they win the next stages of the contest, they will receive CAN$450,000 and then CAN$1,000,000. Write to the Department Minister, a fishing company that has worked with the Membertou in this project, and Perennia, a Nova Scotia agriculture and fisheries development corporation that has also provided funding..

Canadian Members of Parliament

Canadians, Please write to your MP to express your disapproval of the seal "hunt" and of bill S-208, National Seal Products Day Act, which they passed.

Almost all MP's supported this bill. Your MP's need to hear from you, their constituents, that you oppose the designation of a special day to commemorate sealing and that you want them to ban the commercial seal "hunt."

You can find your MP's email and mailing addresses at the parliament website.

If you want a starting point for your letter or you just want to copy a sample letter, you can copy the text of the email to the leaders of the government.

Quebec Provincial Government

The Quebec province has awarded over CAN$72,000 to a pathologist for a grey seal slaughter as a project to help sealers develop a market for grey seal products.

Initially billed as a cull for scientific research, the architect of this slaughter, University of Prince Edward Island veterinary pathologist Pierre-Yves Daoust, soon admitted that the purpose is to help sealers in the Magdalen Islands develop a market for grey seal products.

Isabelle Melançon

Because of climate change, Magdalen Islands sealers have not been able to kill as many harp seals as they would like, so now they are setting their sights on grey seals. They Quebec government is now considering allowing them to kill grey seals on a nature reserve, Brion Island.

Please write to the Quebec Minister of Sustainable Development, the Environment, and the Fight Against Climate Change as well as the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food to express your disapproval of the seal cull. You may also wish to contact Dr. Pierre-Yves Daoust with the contact information below.

Pierre-Yves Daoust

Pierre-Yves Daoust, DVM, PhD, Dipl.ACVP
Professor, Anatomic Pathology and Wildlife Pathology
Email: daoust@upei.ca
Phone: (902) 566-0667
Department:
Pathology and Microbiology
Office:
Atlantic Veterinary College, 410N

Namibian Politicians / Government Officials

Namibian Prime Minister and Other Officials

Namibia has authorized the killing of 80,000 - 85,000 Cape fur seal pups and 6,000 adult bulls (for their genitalia) for the past several years. This barbaric massacre is perpetrated for the sake of employing about 100 unskilled workers for a few months and at the behest of the fishing industry (though it is not officially a cull, as that would require scientific evidence of its necessity for protecting fisheries). Write to the President and other Namibian officials to demand an end to this slaughter. Read more about it here.

Please also write to the Namibian SPCA to urge them to lend their support to the campaign to end the Cape fur seal massacre.

Please also write to Hatem Yavuz, buyer of all Cape fur seal skins. Click here for these automated emails.

Chinese Government Officials

Officials of the Government of China (People's Republic of China - PRC)

China is a major importer (if not the main importer) of seal oil from the Cape fur seal massacre in Namibia. Chinese companies process the seal oil into 'health food' supplements and ship them around the world, including to countries where these products are banned.

Canada's government and sealing interests are also working hard to build trade with China in seal skins and other seal products.

Please write to Chinese officials to ask them to ban seal product imports.

You can also express your views to Premier Li here.

Grocers and Restaurants that Sell Canadian Seafood

Off-season Canadian fishermen are the people who kill defenseless seals in Canada's infamous seal "hunt". When stores and restaurants sell seafood caught by these fishermen, they support sealers and sealing. Since Canada's fishing industry as a whole supports and lobbies for sealing, by selling Canadian seafood, stores and restaurants indirectly support sealing.

Red Lobster was named the largest importer of Canadian seafood some years ago. We do not have current data, however, this company was always very resistant to joining the Canadian seafood boycott. It is now owned by Golden Gate Capital. We can now try again with renewed vigor to convince this company to join the Canadian seafood boycott.

Please click on the link below to send emails to companies that sell Canadian seafood.

Tourism Agencies in Canada

Tourism Industry Association of Canada (TIAC)

TIAC is the national private-sector advocate for Canada's $90 billion tourism industry. TIAC takes action on behalf of Canadian tourism businesses to help the industry grow.

"TIAC is responsible for representing tourism interests at the national level, and its advocacy work involves promoting and supporting policies, programs and activities that will benefit the sector's growth and development."

Atlantic Canada Tourism Partnership

"The Atlantic Canada Tourism Partnership (ACTP) brings together the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA), the provincial departments responsible for tourism in New Brunswick , Newfoundland and Labrador , Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island and the four provincial tourism industry associations.

ACTP’s mission is simple – grow the tourism industry in Atlantic Canada, which today represents $4.69 billion annually for the region’s economy and employs over 110,000 people. ACTP expands the industry through two research-driven marketing campaigns, one promoting the Atlantic Canadian provinces in the United States and a second in key overseas markets. In both programs, ACTP markets Atlantic Canada with major consumer advertising campaigns, travel trade programs and media relations activities.

ACTP delivers strong results. The initiative generated $164.4 million in tourism revenue for Atlantic Canada during its 2012 – 2015 Agreement. That represents a return of $13.55 for every dollar invested in its marketing campaigns. Thanks to ACTP, more visitors from the United States and around the world are discovering Atlantic Canada’s charms."