Restating Our Sealing Position to the EU at ICC in Nuuk

Tuesday afternoon at the ICC General Assembly, a representative from the European Union (EU) was among the six presenters in Nuuk.

Nicholas Hanley is the head of the UNIT of International Relations for the European Commission on the European Union Legislation on Arctic Marine Mammals.

His main presentation was about how the EU has interests in the Arctic environment. We are aware the EU wants to become a permanent observer in the Arctic Council, something we strongly oppose because of the EU legislation that is banning sealskin and seal products.

Mr. Aqqaluk Lynge who was chairing the meeting gave Mr. Hanley a gift which included a small dyed seal pelt. In accepting this gift Mr. Hanley stated that the EU seal ban, scheduled to come into effect on August 20, 2010, would not affect Inuit because seals hunted by Inuit are exempt.

ITK is one of the Inuit groups and individuals in Canada and in Greenland currently suing the European Union in Brussels to prevent this ban from coming into effect. We announced our suit in January of this year, and have recently filed a second injunction to prevent this legislation from becoming law next month. Nevertheless, as was the case in the 1980s when the first seal ban was imposed, much of the damage has already been done.

Here is what I stated to the ICC Assembly in response to Nicholas Hanley's presentation:

“As the national leader for the Inuit of Canada, I reject completely that the EU should be a permanent observer of the Arctic Council unless and until the EU rejects the seal ban. Secondly, as far as we are concerned the exemption on seal products is an empty box. The way it has been presented won’t work for us. We were already affected by the ban in the early 1980s. To us it’s not just an economic issue, it’s a moral issue. I don’t think there is anyone in any country that should tell us how to live. The EU has falsely decided that we can hunt seals but, that we should only hunt them traditionally. We don’t know what that means. We live in the modern world.”

Once again Inuit are using our very meager resources to fight a battle that is being imposed on us. The bottom line is that Inuit will not stop hunting seals. It is our way of life – a part of who we are. We feel strongly that it is wrong for groups and people elsewhere to tell us how to lead our lives. I will use any opportunity I can to explain our position on this issue, including the ICC Assembly. I was pleased the media picked up my message to the assembly.