Canadian parliamentarians to eat seal in solidarity lunch

(OTTAWA) - Canadian parliamentarians are to dine on seal meat on Wednesday to show solidarity with seal hunters wrestling with a European Union ban on seal products and the loss of a key market.

The parliamentary restaurant lunch in the roof space over the Commons Chamber will "revolve around seal meat," beginning with hors-d'oeuvre and followed by a three course meal, said an invitation to media.

"Double smoked bacon wrapped seal loin" will be served with a "medley of organic beets, carrots and turnips," a "port reduction" and "Yukon gold potato pavé," said the menu.

Around 6,000 Canadians take part in seal hunting each year along the Atlantic coast, and 25 percent of their sales came from exporting products to Europe.

The 27 EU states in July 2009 adopted a ban on seal products, ruling the goods could not be marketed from 2010.

Senator Celine Hervieux-Payette said in an email that members from all four of Canada's political parties would attend the "historic" lunch.

"All political parties will have the opportunity to demonstrate to the international community the solidarity of the Canadian parliament behind those who earn a living from the seal hunt," she said.

Ottawa authorizes the slaughter of 338,000 seals per season and says the survival of the species is not in danger. But it has faced fierce protests from animal rights groups who say the slaughter is barbaric.

In November, Canada filed an official complaint at the World Trade Organization against the EU ban on imported seal products, saying it violated trade rules.

In a letter sent to the European Union and the WTO, Canada said the move was "inconsistent with the EC's (European Commission's) obligations" under international trade rules.

Canada and Greenland account for more than 50 percent of the 900,000 seals slain in the world each year. Other seal-hunting countries include Norway, Namibia, Iceland, Russia and the United States.

EU relations with Canada

EU delegation to Canada