Canadian MPs vote to include seal skin on 2010 Canadian Olympic uniforms

[mr.x]

Canadian MPs vote to include seal skin on Olympic uniforms
Mary Frances Hill , Vancouver Sun
Published: Wednesday, May 6, 2009

The federal government wants Canadian Olympians to wear a seal product — most likely skin — during the 2010 Winter Games to help protest a European Union ban on Canada’s seal hunt.

Members of Parliament from all parties voted unanimously Wednesday in favour of a Bloc Quebecois motion calling on the government to come up with a way to integrate seal pelts into the athletes’ uniforms.

“With the upcoming Winter Olympics that will be in Vancouver in 2010, the government has a chance to offer some concrete action to promote seal products,” Bloc Quebec MP Raynald Blais said. “Today we are tabling a motion aimed at studying the possibility to integrate into the Canadian athletes' uniforms. Is the government ready to act to save an industry?”

Canadian Olympic Committee president Mike Chambers said adding seal products to Olympians’ gear would not only mar athletes’ performance, but politicize the Games.

“I’m used to those in the political arena wishing to attach their issues to the Olympic arena,” he said from Lausanne, Switzerland. “But this is one … that will not and cannot be allowed to occur. It’s our intent for our athletes to remain free of the politics that arises in and around the Olympic Games. The seal issue, while important, is an issue that has become politicized.”

The Vancouver Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games would not comment, as athletes’ uniforms are the responsibility of the Canadian Olympic Committee.

Liberal MP Ujjal Dosanjh was among those who supported the motion.

“It’s an industry in the Atlantic and I believe that our caucus is unanimous in supporting it,” he said.

When pressed for details, he added, “I’m not going to say anything more than what I have just said to you.”

Federal Fisheries and Oceans Minister Gail Shea said the move would signal Canada’s support of the sealing industry.

“I would imagine that the Olympic clothing is all designed and probably made by now, but I think it’s a good symbolic suggestion to add something to the outfit of our athletes. I think it would be a good statement for the Canadian sealing industry and Canada’s support of it.”

Seal skin has made high-profile appearances in the past — even on the catwalk. Inuit designers such as Elisapee Kilabuk have showcased creations as diverse as motorcycle jackets to bustiers in international shows.

Chambers said he it’s “doubtful” that the MPs wishes would make any gains.
(THANKFULLY!)
“There are political issues all over the world,” he said. “If the IOC started allowing a patch on everyone’s uniform we’d all look like FI speed racers. Let the politics do the political thing and keep the sport to the games.”

Copyright © The Vancouver Sun

[Yume-sama]

Ummmm. Ehhhh??? Ok...

[Kodii]

As weird as the proposal is, it's nice to see the MPs across the country unified to defend Canada's trade reputation.

Just don't make the Olympics involved.

[vid]

For fuck sake.

It's a nice symbolic gesture in one way but in every other it is immature politicizing of the Olympics. We are better than this!

[CBeats]

Yeah, I don't understand their unanimous desire to add seal skin. Surely doing so would anger animal rights groups all over the world and give Canadians an even worse rap than we apparently already have for being baby seal clubbers.

This issue seems to keep reappearing: although the uniforms, among other parts of the 2010 Olympics, are representing Canada, the Olympics are in Vancouver! We don't club seals, and we don't have native people who build Inukshuks either.

[crazyjoeda]

This is f*cking insane. The seal hunt should be banned. The seal hunt hurts the Canadian economy and damages our international image. We don't hunt seals in BC and I'm sure most people in Vancouver oppose the seal hunt. The seal hunt has been a national embarrassment to Canadians for to long and equally embarrassing it may be europe ending it. If I were an athlete I would boycott team Canada, and if they wear seal skin I will be ashamed of our national team.

[mr.x]

I had a good laugh when i read i first heard about it, then I did a face palm.

Fortunately, not likely gonna happen at all. You'd be interested to know that the same Canadian MP's suggested that the 2010 torch should include parts of dead animals:


No joke, they wanted the torch to look like the Northwest Territories Legislature mace. Not only is the mace made out of dead animals, the purpose of a mace is to be a weapon....and this, for the torch?

They also had a few other whacky ideas, like how the first torch bearers on Canadian soil should be veterans from the War in Afghanistan





The Hudson's Bay Company is in charge of designing the uniforms, and the people that are actually designing them are the same people that brought us those cool uniforms from Nagano 1998 to Athens 2004. Remember the poor boy hat at Salt Lake?

Unfortunately, they haven't been able to design anything as high of quality as what they did at Roots with a very limited design budget. But fortunately, the designers certainly wouldn't do anything involving dead animals.

[Metro-One]

Yeah, I don't understand their unanimous desire to add seal skin. Surely doing so would anger animal rights groups all over the world and give Canadians an even worse rap than we apparently already have for being baby seal clubbers.

This issue seems to keep reappearing: although the uniforms, among other parts of the 2010 Olympics, are representing Canada, the Olympics are in Vancouver! We don't club seals, and we don't have native people who build Inukshuks either.

Great post!

[zivan56]

While I really have no opinion for or against hunting seals, I find the double standard that the EU puts forward hilarious. First of all, they have been doing this for decades in Greenland (which is part of Denmark, which is a part of the EU). However, they call this seal "management" or something.
Second of all, baby seals are illegal to kill and have been for decades. Only certain type of seals, which have a HUGE population and affect Atlantic fish stocks significantly, can be hunted. However, this seems to not matter in such a debate.
Lastely, this is a matter of principle. Seals are neither endangered not protected in any way, so the EU has no right to impose such a ban. They could just as easily ban Canadian poultry for "inhumane" conditions on chicken farms...which I would say suffer far more than the seal being killed. In fact, seals that are hunted in Canada are more humanely killed (by a quick blow to the head) than most farm animals out there...and aren't forced to live their lives inside a pen or similar enclosure.
So this ban is pure BS, and I see no reason why the WTO would allow it. The best case scenario is that the WTO agrees with Canada and Canada imposes tariffs in European goods to help out these people who do this for a living.

[DKaz]

What makes seal skin worse than other leathers? We kill cows and pigs and chickens for food, we bash the Chinese and Koreans for eating dogs but East Indians think we're horrible for eating beef. I dunno, I don't really have any opinions on it. It would've been better if they kept seals issue out of the Olympics but it's just awful how we're doing the "this is bad but that is ok" thing.

[twoNeurons]

What makes seal skin worse than other leathers? We kill cows and pigs and chickens for food, we bash the Chinese and Koreans for eating dogs but East Indians think we're horrible for eating beef.

Cows and pigs don't have animal rights. They're not cute enough.

Well pigs are kind of cute, but now with swine flu, they may never fully recover their cute image... oh we must lament the noble pig... how you've fallen... from piglet to Wilbur to Babe... and now you've been so unfairly demoted to "evil carrier of H1N1"

[djh]

This makes Canada look so parochial.

The minute the newswires pick this story up, the rest of the Developed World will just laugh at Canada and say that the country is still living in igloos and hunting with spears.

I totally understand how the Quebec MP put the politicians in between a rock and a hard place by raising this motion, but geez, he now looks like the most noble of a bunch of dumba$$es.

[djmk]

i was thinking that these olympics should hand out gold, silver and bronze severed seal pup heads as medals. very canadian and economical.

as well, we should convert the olympic village into a huge igloo and the security should be a huge over-powering inukshuck, much like the blue man in The Watchmen.

the Bay should design a line of white seal pup fur underwear and guarantee its freshness of being this seasons kill.

I think this would be the only way to show the world our culture and our collective love for nature, our first nations, seal pups and comic books.

[crazyjoeda]

Originally Posted by DKaz

What makes seal skin worse than other leathers? We kill cows and pigs and chickens for food, we bash the Chinese and Koreans for eating dogs but East Indians think we're horrible for eating beef. I dunno, I don't really have any opinions on it. It would've been better if they kept seals issue out of the Olympics but it's just awful how we're doing the "this is bad but that is ok" thing.

It's the method that is the difference. If you were to club a cow or a chicken to death you would face prosecution and could go to jail.

[Metro-One]

While I really have no opinion for or against hunting seals, I find the double standard that the EU puts forward hilarious. First of all, they have been doing this for decades in Greenland (which is part of Denmark, which is a part of the EU). However, they call this seal "management" or something.
Second of all, baby seals are illegal to kill and have been for decades. Only certain type of seals, which have a HUGE population and affect Atlantic fish stocks significantly, can be hunted. However, this seems to not matter in such a debate.
Lastely, this is a matter of principle. Seals are neither endangered not protected in any way, so the EU has no right to impose such a ban. They could just as easily ban Canadian poultry for "inhumane" conditions on chicken farms...which I would say suffer far more than the seal being killed. In fact, seals that are hunted in Canada are more humanely killed (by a quick blow to the head) than most farm animals out there...and aren't forced to live their lives inside a pen or similar enclosure.
So this ban is pure BS, and I see no reason why the WTO would allow it. The best case scenario is that the WTO agrees with Canada and Canada imposes tariffs in European goods to help out these people who do this for a living.

Again i completely agree with this. The only different factor is that seals are cute, and the extreme environmentalists have successfully used this to their benefit. I use to volunteer at a fish hatchery and to get the eggs and sperm out of the adult fish we would have to kill them first, in the exact same way, by hitting them over the head, one swift blow. Now you don't hear anyone complaining about the poor fish and you don't see salmon faces all over billboards and newspaper ads do you?



*sarah Mclaughlin song in the back ground.

All one has to do is look at religion, the fear of swine flu, Y2K, SARS, closing borders because of "terrorists", etc... to find out that the vast majority of people are irrational beings that rarely think for themselves, so again people losing perspective on this issue because seals are cute is no surprise. I agree that the treatment of farmed chickens is much worse than that of seals that get to live a life outside in the wild.

[Yume-sama]

Maybe the stories are true about Canada wanting to be more of a "powerful" voice in the World, and not the nice guy who shakes your hand for sleeping with his wife.

This seems to be a pretty big statement to the World... a disagreeable one, even! Especially to the Europeans who we so idolize.

There is quite a bit of misinformation about this topic in Europe, though. I had a German friend ask me if I take part... as all Canadians must, apparently. I had to explain to him that this doesn't happen in Downtown Vancouver, or in most of the Country, and that I don't even know anybody who hunts wildlife, let alone cute baby seals Seems the European media has been sensationalizing this (I know, *shock*)

[cornholio]

Originally Posted by twoNeurons

Cows and pigs don't have animal rights. They're not cute enough.

Well pigs are kind of cute, but now with swine flu, they may never fully recover their cute image... oh we must lament the noble pig... how you've fallen... from piglet to Wilbur to Babe... and now you've been so unfairly demoted to "evil carrier of H1N1"

put a pig or cow on white snow and than slaughter it and they just might get animal rights.

also good idea, the Olympics are ALL ABOUT POLITICS anyways and always will be. thats why countries and cities host them.

[twoNeurons]

Originally Posted by cornholio

put a pig or cow on white snow and than slaughter it and they just might get animal rights.

also good idea, the Olympics are ALL ABOUT POLITICS anyways and always will be. thats why countries and cities host them.

What? You didn't actually think they were about Peace, harmony and Uniting the world through Sport, did you?

Not to be a pessimist, but I think the days when the Olympics actually practiced the ideals they stood for are Loooong gone.

I wonder what would happen if we took away the national anthems, had all the athletes come in alphabetically, instead of by country, had uniforms based on the sport, rather on the country of origin, and didn't record the medal count per country... essentially making all athletes from the same country (earth) and highlighting the athletes instead of what country they're from. Now THAT would do more to unite the world through sport.

As it stands now, it's more a peaceful battlefield for countries to fight against each other... and it promotes nationalism, which can be argued is more of a hindrance than a help to world unity.

They do some good, no doubt, and I know some will disagree with my opinion (which is why it's called an opinion), but they're certainly not an entirely altruistic event. They'll be fun when they're here, though.

[crazyjoeda]

Originally Posted by twoNeurons

I wonder what would happen if we took away the national anthems, had all the athletes come in alphabetically, instead of by country, had uniforms based on the sport, rather on the country of origin, and didn't record the medal count per country... essentially making all athletes from the same country (earth) and highlighting the athletes instead of what country they're from. Now THAT would do more to unite the world through sport. .

You would have the most lame sporting event ever. What would happen if the Canucks didn't have Vancouver in front of their name and played every game at a neutral arena? Sport is competition.

[flight_from_kamakura]

yeah, given a few minutes consideration, it's pretty weird that canada's political class would stand so firmly behind this. the real difference between the slaughter of these things and, say, a factory farm, is that almost noone eats seal meat. this sort of vote from the europeans is a normal and natural extension of their rules regarding animal cruelty.

p.s. i doubt any of you "it's a trade issue" folks would want to be doing any of this so that you could sew some fur onto some shoes or a vest or whatever: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oh1MIVk-Bgg