Kinship Circle | Letter Campaigns

3 Sample Letters In This Alert:
1. TO: Canadian Prime Minister, Fisheries & Oceans Minister, Embassies
2. TO: Canadian Minister of International Trade
3. TO: Designers Who Use Seal Fur and Skin

LETTER #1: To Prime Minister, Fisheries Minister, Embassies
NOTE: Minister Harper and family are FOSTER PET PARENTS and support the Ottawa Humane Society's Foster Program [ah, the contradiction]. http://www.pm.gc.ca/eng/feature.asp?pageId=73

The Right Honourable Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of Canada
Office of the Prime Minister, 80 Wellington Street; Ottawa K1A 0A2
fax: 613-941-6900; email: pm@pm.gc.ca
website: http://www.pm.gc.ca/eng/contact.asp?pageId=30

The Honourable Loyola Hearn
HOUSE OF COMMONS
Minister of Fisheries and Oceans
Parliament Buildings, Wellington Street; Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, K1A 0A6
email: Min@dfo-mpo.gc.ca, info@dfo-mpo.gc.ca
website: http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/Contact_e.htm

Canadian Embassy in the United States
Ambassador Michael Wilson
501 Pennsylvania Ave., NW; Washington, DC 20001
ph: 202-682-1740; fax: 202-682-7678, 202-682-7701
email: canada@canadianembassy.org

CANADIAN EMBASSIES IN OTHER COUNTRIES:
www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca/world/embassies/cra-en.asp

Prime Minister Harper, Minister Hearn and Canadian Ambassador:

Canada's Fisheries and Oceans Department website urges me to "form opinions based on the facts" regarding the Canadian seal hunt. I have determined there is no ecological, financial or ethical defense for the hunt. Therefore, I have pledged to boycott Canadian seafood and tourism until it ends. I strongly encourage you to heed international opinion and permanently cancel the hunt.

Reality: The annual slaughter of over 300,000 seals off Canada's East Coast is the world's largest marine wildlife hunt. In three years, sealers killed almost one million seals for their fur. The 2007 kill quota is 270,000 even though treacherous ice conditions have already claimed 90% of newborn seals.

Reality: Scientists worldwide renounce Canada's hunt policy as reckless, citing insufficient proof to link harp seals with depleted fish stocks. Roughly 3% of the harp seal's food intake includes commercially caught cod. Harp seals actually consume other species, such as squid, that prey on cod. Eliminating harp seals could provoke a rise in cod predators. In fact, scientists worry killing seals may hinder the recovery of ground fish stocks.

Reality: Wholly 95% of seals butchered in the last five years were less than three months old, most unable to eat solid foods or swim independently. Considered "adults," pups who have shed their white fur are ambushed on the ice.

Reality: Documentation in 2005 and 2006 shows whitecoat pups gunned down, pounded in the skull, kicked in the face and trashed with hakapiks. Video footage depicts sealers hauling alert animals over the ice with boathooks. In 2001 a team of impartial veterinarians determined 42% of the seals they examined did not suffer sufficient cranial injury to render them unconscious. They concluded the seals were likely cognizant when skinned.

Reality: Despite the hunt's enormous scope, it has little financial relevance. In Newfoundland, where 90% of sealers reside, seal-related income constitutes less than one-tenth of 1% of the province's economy. Sealers fish the rest of the year. Sealing generates barely one-twentieth of their livelihoods.

As you know, seal commodities are banned in the United States. Polls indicate nearly 80% of Americans and Europeans disapprove of Canada's seal hunt (Penn, Schoen & Berland, 2002 and MORI, 2002), with a growing contingent devoted to a Canadian seafood boycott. Convulsing animals in rivers of blood disgraces Canada. Please do everything possible to halt this indefensible hunt now.

Sincerely,

NEXT LETTER

3 Sample Letters In This Alert:
1. TO: Canadian Prime Minister, Fisheries & Oceans Minister, Embassies
2. TO: Canadian Minister of International Trade
3. TO: Designers Who Use Seal Fur and Skin

LETTER #2: To Canadian Minister of International Trade

David L. Emerson, Minister of International Trade and Minister for the Pacific Gateway and the Vancouver-Whistler Olympics
Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada
125 Sussex Drive; Ottawa, ON, Canada K1A 0G2
ph: 1-800-267-8376 (toll-free in Canada), 613-944-4911, 613-944-4000; fax: 613-996-9709
General Email/ Enquiries Service: enqserv@dfait-maeci.gc.ca
web email: http://www.international.gc.ca/ common/contact_us-en.asp?subject=Other&form=1
website: http://www.international.gc.ca/common/contact_us- en.asp

David L. Emerson, Minister of International Trade and Minister for the Pacific Gateway and the Vancouver-Whistler Olympics
2010 Olympic & Paralympic Winter Games Federal Secretariat
3585 Graveley Street; Vancouver, BC V5K 5J5
ph: 778-327-5740; fax: 778-327-5751; email: 2010@pch.gc.ca
website: http://www.canada2010.gc.ca/contact_e.cfm

Foreign Affairs and International Trade Media Relations Offices
ph: 613-996-2000; fax: 613-996-9276; email: cmr@international.gc.ca
street address at: http://www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca/department/ media/team-en.asp

David Emerson, Minister of International Trade:

There is no credible defense for the annual slaughter of over 300,000 seals off Canada's East Coast. I have pledged to boycott Canadian seafood until the world's largest marine wildlife hunt ends.

The Canadian seal hunt continues to disgrace Canada and initiate global boycotts of seafood and tourism. I strongly encourage you to advocate an end to Canada's brutal massacre of seals.

A hunt with little financial relevance shouldn't be allowed to damage Canada's economy. In Newfoundland, where 90% of sealers reside, seal-related income constitutes less than one-tenth of 1% of the economy. Sealers fish year-round. Sealing generates barely one-twentieth of their livelihoods.

Yet in three years sealers killed almost one million seals for their fur. The 2007 kill quota is 270,000 even though this year's treacherous ice conditions have already claimed 90% of newborn seals.

Scientists worldwide renounce Canada's hunt policy as reckless, citing insufficient proof to link harp seals with depleted fish stocks. Roughly 3% of the harp seal's food intake includes commercially caught cod. Harp seals actually consume other species, such as squid, that prey on cod. Eliminating harp seals could provoke a rise in cod predators. In fact, scientists worry killing seals may hinder the recovery of ground fish stocks.

Wholly 95% of seals butchered in the last five years were less than three months old, most unable to eat solid foods or swim independently. Documentation in 2005 and 2006 shows whitecoat pups gunned down, pounded in the skull, kicked in the face and trashed with hakapiks. Video footage depicts sealers hauling alert animals over the ice with boathooks. In 2001 a team of impartial veterinarians determined 42% of the seals they examined did not suffer sufficient cranial injury to render them unconscious. They concluded the seals were likely cognizant when skinned.

As you know, seal commodities are banned in the United States. Polls indicate nearly 80% of Americans and Europeans disapprove of Canada's seal hunt (Penn, Schoen & Berland, 2002 and MORI, 2002), with a growing contingent devoted to a Canadian seafood boycott. Please do everything possible to halt this non-sustainable and ethically indefensible hunt now.

Sincerely,

NEXT LETTER

3 Sample Letters In This Alert:
1. TO: Canadian Prime Minister, Fisheries & Oceans Minister, Embassies
2. TO: Canadian Minister of International Trade
3. TO: Designers Who Use Seal Fur and Skin

LETTER #3: To Designers Who Use Sear Fur and Skin
*Postage from United States to Italy or Denmark is 84 cents.

Pajar
4509 Coloniale Ave.; Montreal, Quebec, Canada H2T 1V8
ph: 514-844-3067, 1-888-667-2527; fax: 514-844-3066
Pajar makes/sells sealskin boots.

Annika Heinadottir
Oehlenschlaegersgade 30; Copenhagen, Denmark
ph: 45 26192611; email: annika@dottir.dk

Birger Christensen
Ostergade 38; DK-1100 Copenhagen K, Denmark
ph: 45 33 11 55 55; fax: 45 33 93 21 35
email: bc@birger-christensen.com

Dolce & Gabbana
Via Goldoni, 10; 20129 Milano, Italy
ph: +39 02 774271; fax: +39 02 76020600
website comments: http://eng.dolcegabbana.it/ corporate.asp?page=CommentsEnquiry

Gucci
685 Fifth Ave.; New York, NY 10022
ph: 212-750-5220; email: clientservice-europe@gucci.it

The Odette Leblanc Collection
022 de l'ecole Rd., Pointe-aux-Loups
Iles de la madeleine PQ. G4T 8B1, Canada
ph: 418-969-9385; email: oleblanc@tlb.sympatico.ca

Petit Nord OU
Marielundvej 28, 1
2730 Herlev; Copenhagen, Denmark
ph: 45 44 85 20 50; fax: 45 44 85 20 51
web form: http://www.base-1.com/petit.html

Prada World Headquarters
Prada S.P.A.
Via Andrea Maffei, 2; Milan, Italy 20154
ph: 39 02 54 67 01

Prada (U.S. office)
Katherine Ross, V.P. of Communications
610 W. 52nd St.; New York, NY 10019
ph: 212-307-9300

Versace
Donatella Versace
Versace S.P.A. Headquarters
Via Manzoni, 38; Milan, Italy 20121
ph: 39 02 76 09 31; fax: 39 02 76 00 41 22
website: http://www.versace.com/flash.html

CONTACT INFO SOURCE:
http://www.hsus.org/marine_mammals/ protect_seals/designers_who_use_seal_fur.html
http://www.canadiansealhunt.com/profiting.html
http://www.harpseals.org/hunt/pelts.html

Dear Sir/Madam:

As a design house that incorporates seal fur/skin in its collection, you offer commercial incentive for the world's largest slaughter of marine wildlife. I respectfully ask you stop using seal fur/skin.

The Canadian seal hunt continues to disgrace Canada — along with your label by association. There is simply no ecological, financial or ethical defense for the annual slaughter of over 300,000 seals off Canada's East Coast. Every year, the official kill count belies the true death toll. For roughly every seal landed, another wounded seal slides beneath the ice to die slowly. I have pledged to boycott Canadian seafood and tourism, as well as your products, until the brutal massacre ends.

In three years, sealers killed almost one million seals for their fur, many just 12 days old. Scientists worldwide renounce Canada's seal hunt policy as reckless, citing insufficient proof to link harp seals with depleted fish stocks. Harp seals actually consume other species, such as squid, that prey on cod. In fact, scientists worry killing seals may hinder the recovery of ground fish stocks.

Wholly 95% of seals butchered in the last five years were less than three months old, most unable to eat solid foods or swim independently. Video footage depicts sealers hauling alert animals over the ice with boathooks. Documentation in 2005 and 2006 shows whitecoat pups gunned down, pounded in the skull, kicked in the face and trashed with hakapiks. In 2001 a team of impartial veterinarians determined 42% of the seals they examined did not suffer sufficient cranial injury to render them unconscious. They concluded the seals were likely cognizant when skinned.

Despite the hunt's enormous scope, it has little financial relevance. In Newfoundland, where 90% of sealers reside, seal- related income constitutes less than one-tenth of 1% of the province's economy. Sealers fish the rest of the year. Sealing generates barely one- twentieth of their livelihoods.

Seal-derived goods are the byproduct of suffering. You can package them as couture, but you cannot erase their wretched origin. Please remove all seal fur and skin from your lines. Thank you for your responsible action in this matter of international concern.

Sincerely,