Yikes. Some of those anti seal hunt protesters are nuts. I hope our friends from NS are wearing their Kevlar Kamiks.

There is, in fact, such an organization - the Fur Council of Canada. Since the first wave of Eurogreen anti fur campaign they’ve been the focal point for both the Aboriginal organizations, the Governments of Newfoundland and the NWT, and the retail sector. They’re very good, and they’ve had some big bucks behind them (including DFAIT, and some pretty heavy private sector hitters ). Unfortunately, there is simply NO message as visceral or powerful as the ones that the anti-fur lobby can summon up. And those guys are nuts.

The issue you raise has been and is being hotly debated in Inuit political circles. The problem is, as SL points out, the Nunavut and Labrador hunts are two VERY different hunts. The Nunavut hunt has always been about subsistence: the real point is the seal as food, but the pelts pay the cost of the hunt. I suspect many Inuit are not pleased at the mass commercial harvests in Labrador and Newfoundland, and are reluctant to associate themselves with it. But you may be right - I think it’s a little naive to think they can successfully distance themselves in the eyes of the earnest German university students demonstrating in Belgium in “baby seal” costumes.

Here’s an interesting resource by an interesting guy, Alan Hercovici, former ED of the Fur Council. He did an excellent series on Ideas about the Animal Rights movement a few years back: this book pretty much sums up his main arguments.

I support the Inuit students on this issue, and I think it’s an important part of cultural preservation.

This is interesting, and shows what the Inuit are up against…

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20070315/seal_ban_070315/20070315?hub=TopStories

“The European Commission will be sending an inspection mission to a seal hunt in Canada, it announced Thursday, after dismissing calls for an EU-wide ban on the import of seal products.

Under pressure from the European Parliament, which demands an immediate moratorium on seal products, the commission also ordered a study to assess the welfare of seals.

Many EU legislators have blasted what they see as inhumane hunting tactics used to kill seal pups for their skins.

However, the European Commission said Thursday “there is no scientific evidence” of serious damage as a result of seal hunting.

“There must be a proper impact study before any action can be taken,” EU Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas told the European Parliament.

“If it is established seals are hunted in an inhuman way, a ban on export and the marketing of seal products will be considered.””