Pamela Anderson asks Prime Minister to end federal subsidies for seal hunt
The Canadian Press | Posted: March 1, 2016 9:11 PM | Last Updated: March 1, 2016
Letter to Justin Trudeau says Ottawa has poured millions into propping up fading industry
Pamela Anderson is hoping Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will hear her out on behalf of seals.
In a letter to Trudeau, the Canadian-born actress asks him to meet her to discuss phasing out or ending federal subsidies for the East Coast commercial seal hunt.
Anderson writes in the letter obtained by The Canadian Press that Ottawa has poured millions of taxpayers' dollars into propping up the fading industry.
The honorary director of the PETA animal-rights group says the money could be better spent promoting businesses with a brighter future that would help the world see Canada as a sophisticated, enlightened country.
The former star of Baywatch is among several prominent figures such as U.S. President Barack Obama and music legend Paul McCartney who have spoken out against the hunt.
Anderson notes that major markets such as the European Union, the United States and Russia have all banned seal-fur products over animal welfare concerns.
The former Conservative government steadfastly defended the commercial hunt as beneficial for local economies, humane and well regulated.
In recent years, the federal government has invested in programs to promote seal meat in domestic and foreign markets.