Green Party of Canada Must Stay the Course for the Seals

[Guest guest]

Captain Paul Watson

 

Tue, 3 Oct 2006 16:00:44 -0700

 

Green Party of Canada Must Stay the Course for the

Seals

 

The Green Party of Canada is considering changing the

policy on the Canadian seal slaughter after pressure

has been brought to bear from Green Party members in

Newfoundland and Labrador .

 

 

 

“The Party will lose a great deal of support,

especially in Western and Central Canada if they

renege on their commitment to oppose the annual

slaughter of seals.” Said Captain Paul Watson.

 

 

 

Captain Paul Watson, the founder and President of the

Sea Shepherd Conservation Society was one of the

original Green Party of Canada members in the early

Eighties and represented the Green Party in four

different elections, twice as the candidate for

Vancouver Centre in the Federal elections, once for

the Vancouver Parks Board and once for Mayor of

Vancouver in 1996.

 

 

 

“I have supported the Green Party in Canada because it

is the only federal Party that represents

environmental concerns and the only political party

that opposes the Canadian seal hunt.” Said Captain

Watson. “If the Green Party of Canada changes its

policy to support the seal slaughter then I don’t

think I will be alone in withdrawing my support for

the Greens. The Party will find that they will have

more to lose from backing the seal hunt than from

opposing it”

 

Jane McGillivray, who had won the Green party's

nomination in the riding of Labrador , resigned her

candidacy over the party's policy on sealing.

 

Lori-Ann Martino, who had been an organizer for the

Green party in Newfoundland and Labrador, said the

policy prompted her to abandon a plan to run in a St.

John 's riding in January's federal election.

 

“This is no loss,” said Captain Watson. “Why would a

Party that is concerned for wildlife conservation want

to run candidates who are in favour of the largest

slaughter of marine mammals in the world? This is like

a Peace Party advocate voting for war or a Socialist

voting for fascism. The Green Party does not need the

Martino’s and the McGillivrays, the Party needs people

who respect conservation and respect for wildlife.”

 

Elizabeth May is the new leader of the Federal Green

Party. “I supported her for that position. She is one

of the best environmental activists in Canada . She is

a long time friend and she is a member of the Sea

Shepherd Conservation Society Board of Advisors. I

trust that she will support conservation efforts for

the seals and I trust she will not compromise on this

issue.”

 

Elizabeth May is out of the country and not available

for comment presently.

 

The Canadian seal slaughter has no place in the

civilized world. Harp seal populations have been

reduced to less than 10% of their numbers from before

the time of the European colonization some five

hundred years ago. The slaughter of seal pups is

inhumane and it is a horrific obscenity.

 

The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society is supporting

European Parliament efforts to ban all seal products

and the Society is supporting the international

boycott of Canadian seafood products and tourism to

Canada as effective tactics to pressure the government

of Canada to end the slaughter.

 

“As a Canadian whose family extends back to 1640 in

Acadia , I have fought this savage and cruel slaughter

all of my life.” Said Captain Watson. “If I have one

wish to see fulfilled before I die it would be to see

this horror abolished forever.”

 

Captain Paul Watson is the Founder and President of

the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society.

 

He is also the author of Seal Wars! Twenty-Five Years

on the Front Lines with the Harp Seals.

 

 

 

May be freely Distributed and Published.