harper govt ignores science, puts environment at risk. yes, what else is new.

Yesterday I received an update from the office of Senator Mac Harb, sponsor of the Harb Seal Bill. Here is the English-language portion. It's short, and I hope you will read the whole thing.

Dear Friend,

The Senate Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans has recently begun a study that could result in the killing of 70,000 grey seals off Canada’s East Coast.

The Fisheries Minister is pushing federal scientists to justify the slaughter of seals through contrived studies and one-sided hearings for political reasons. He has decided to ignore factors such as the impact of uncontrolled foreign overfishing in the waters off our coast and the total lack of scientific proof that seals are affecting the cod's recovery.

The committee is considering an irresponsible cull that could, in my view, have serious negative impact on the Atlantic ecosystem and the long term health of many species, including cod. This slaughter would also result in untold costs to taxpayers and to Canada’s international reputation.

I have called on the committee to do due diligence and gather scientific evidence from all sides of this issue, not simply the studies that fit in with the unjustifiable goal of killing 70,000 seals. I urge you to write to the committee and its members who can be contacted through the Committee website [link].

The government needs to know how Canadians and people around the world feel about this indefensible slaughter.

Sincerely,

Hon. Senator Mac Harb

"...pushing federal scientists to justify...
...contrived studies and one-sided hearings for political reasons...
...ignore factors...
...total lack of scientific proof...
...serious negative impact on the ... ecosystem...
...untold costs to taxpayers and to Canada’s international reputation..."

There you have it: the Harper government at work.

Please email pofo@sen.parl.gc.ca and tell the Senate Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans how you feel about this. A quick copy/paste from Senator Harb's letter would work well.