Stockwell Day says it violates WTO guidelines
Canada will file a formal protest with the World Trade Organization in response to the European Union’s adoption of a ban on seal products. The announcement was made by ministers Stockwell Day and Gail Shea, who called the ban irresponsible and said it violates WTO guidelines. Day said despite the use of clubs and rifles in the hunt, experts confirm it is both humane and environmentally friendly, and the criticism from Europeans is unfounded. That argument has fallen on deaf ears in Europe, and the impact on some Canadians could be severe. The government estimates that many sealers will lose about 35 per cent of their income with a shutdown of the European market, even though most demand for seal products comes from China, Russia and the Canadian north. The ban stipulates that seal products obtained during traditional Inuit hunts can still be imported, but only on a “not-for-profit basis.”