Canada and China

If the government of Canada want to improve its affection in Arctic,it can use some policy else,such the tourism,fishing.Bring the Inuit living into high income.
Only when they don't need to survive by seal hunting,the blood of seal will not flee again.

Look what the Chinese have done to the Rhino, the Tiger and dozens of other species with their "traditional medicine" bullshit. No the harp seal is not endangered...yet. Trading animal parts to the Chinese is a sure-fire way to get a species endangered.

Aside from the Inuit people who are still subsistence hunters, there is no reason anybody ought to be involved in the seal trade. Your industry is already being subsidized to the tune of seven times its annual profit, the whole damned world is so disgusted by you that they won't trade for your products and you're an embarrassment to Canada. You seriously can't make a living some other way?

Ohh..its very cute

I've always taken issue with the Canadian and Chinese connection, being a Canadian citizen. I'm not upset at our collusion so much as curious how it will influence our government's choices. China, so far, has been an extremely successful company economically. If we are allowing China's influence, aside from simple economics, to penetrate our government my question is whether or not it will stop. Where is the line? The simplest form of capitalism is being exploited and, basically, we are being exploited by the Chinese. If the deal goes through and demand skyrockets, which it just might, how do we respond? Seal farms. It's not something I would say I'm extremely worried about, but it's a pressing issue that has to be considered when measuring the policies of the current Conservative majority.

A truly irrelevant article in the grand scheme of things.

M.D. has always had a bias problem with the current Government which is probably why the wider story has been ignored. This article is just using the win for sealing industry to stir up negativity for what has been described as a largely successful visit by most of Canada's mainstream press.

It's certainly brought out the trolls and M.D. is the biggest of the lot.

I had the idea that Canada was a civilized country. How wrong I was!!!! I most certainly protest at their villanous acts against these animals. Canada must be condemned for this. NO DOUBT.

Of course Canada and China are in cahoots!!!!!!!!! China is so awful that the very special people who are trying to physically protect humanity in the rest of the world - - - - they have decided that China cannot be changed or taught to become more humane to all beings, so they are not being protected - - - they are pretty much hopeless. And of course this is the country that Canada chooses to do business with - - - - - - stinking, ugly business that will continue to bring them more and more enemies by the day!!!!!
Canada is slitting its own throat in the world, and I say good riddance to them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This article contains erroneous information. Firstly, most of the harp seals killed each year in Canada are pups between 3 weeks and 3 months of age. Female harp seals reach sexual maturity between 4 and 6 years of age; males between 7 and 8 years of age. They live to be about 35 years old. The Canadian government also puts out false information, claiming that pups are no longer killed, in order to attempt to diffuse criticism of the killing. The government claims that after the pups are weaned at about 10 - 14 days old, they are no longer pups. This is like saying that a 5 week old dog is an adult dog.

The government's claim that this is a highly regulated and humane industry has been debunked thoroughly time and again. Videos and eyewitness observations by HSUS and IFAW provide incontrovertible evidence.

For more information, visit the websites of HSUS, IFAW, and Harpseals.org.

China opening it's markets to Canadian seal products is utter trivia compared to the Oil, Uranium, and other commodities that are also on the table. This is a sideshow and the Economist shouldn't waste people's time with it.

Here you are dog eating culture worldwide.
Are we so different !!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dog_meat

Let's stop eating animal !!

Chinese don't kill them, someone else !!

:D

Why don't the Chinese just use proven stuff like Viagra or Cialis instead of killing Rhinos or Seals or tigers for their penises?

Strange people!

The funny thing is, its obvious where this practice of eating seal penises for enhanced virility came from. It happened in the exact same way that the practice of rhino horns came about. Some Chinese apothecary saw a national geographic special on the admittedly impressive mating behavior of bull seals. The first part of the special no doubt featured two massive bull seals charging each other, seething with testosterone, ripples of masculinity undulating across their fat, screaming "OAARRRRKKKKK!", and battling sometimes to the death for the right to mate. The actual coitus between these beasts and the meek little female seals is equally impressive.
All of my multicultural sentiments aside, what are the requirements for something to be considered traditional medicine? Just that it be stupid, not work, and harm some endangered species?
Also, I know this probably won't do much to assuage the plight of the seals, but can I please get one of those little things as a pet? So cute.

Eh, the importance of appearances!

It is so frustrating that the only reason our region shows up in the international press is the seal industry. I have never met an Atlantic Canadian that is involved in or has been impacted by the seal industry. As far as I can tell, it is a tiny industry with small subsidies and I suspect (going out on a limb) it has very little impact on the marine ecosystem.

I invite readers to learn of the impact that open cage finfish aquaculture has had on wild fish populations, lobster fisheries and coastal communities. http://www.asf.ca/issues.php?id=3

Aquaculture operations have bloomed like algae along the Fundy shores of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick and along the southern coast of Newfoundland. They are now posed to spread along the atlantic coast of Nova Scotia.

To our friends in Asia and Europe: PLEASE be cognizant of the fact that the importance and vulnerability of a wild species isn't always proportional to it's likeness of the stuffed animals you buy for your children!

The opposition to sealing does not seem to be based on an endangered population. It seems to be based on urban values where people have been doing their hunting and gathering in supermarkets for three or more generations. When they were young, they did not have a momma tell them "boy, go fetch us a chicken for supper". The boy goes down to the barnyard, catches a chicken, and chops its head off. Blood spurts everywhere as the headless chicken flops around. The boy then takes the chicken back to his mother who plucks and cleans the chicken for supper. Who has a better perspective, those who hunt and gather in the supermarket where everything is already killed, cleaned, cut and wrapped, or those who had to do it themselves or starve?

If a resturant opened in Shenzhen serving seal meat I would go in a heart beat. I count among my aspirations to eat as many types of animals as possible. I hope the Chinese government does the right thing and starts eating importing those scrumptous little seals.

just curious....eh, what's the seal meat like? got to run away imme as i sense a big club behind and they might use that on me.... lol

Too young and lovely to die. Such evil Canadian government.

Harping sealer, oilsands dealer!
That's our Steven Harper, the pride and joy of Canada, the True White North strong and free but with Chinese Characteristics, trying to sell off Canadian naturals resources, even seals! to the nouveau-riche Chinese (not to mention real estate in Vancouver for investor-class immigrants). What I don't understand is why, by Canadian law, I have to treat Chinese-Canadians as "visible minorities" with "special protected status" (affirmative action for Chinese lol) Oxymoronic!