True leadership
is rarely popular
Tell your federal representative that you expect action rather than more political delays
By Georges R. Dupras
April 23, 2025
Promises, promises, the air is full of promises, those words are woven into the fabric of all who seek higher office. Those assurances, however, will soon lie heavy on the shoulders of those called to serve. Promises come easily during elections, while real change is hard-fought once the party favours have been put away.
Commercial sealing
Despite worldwide condemnation, cautionary science, climate change, and phantom markets, one Federal front runner is promising to arrest protesters while increasing seal quotas. Now, increasing quotas may be a hollow promise as sealers have fallen well short of present-day quotas, but by even suggesting that he would arrest protesters, counters democratic rights and sounds like “Trumpism”.
Decline in their numbers
In 2024, there is an estimated 4.4 to 4.8 million seals down from a high of 7.5 million (1970-1990). The 2022 pup estimations are the lowest since 1998. This data is according to cautionary scientific returns.
What is clear in these findings is that the seal population has been in an overall state of decline (1998-2024).
It is my sincere hope that the “Drill Baby Drill” call for action stays south of the 49th and that our elected leaders do not buy into President Donald Trump’s total disregard for the environment.
First, the seals and now the butterflies
At the last COP meeting (Conference of the Parties), Justin Trudeau spoke with great pride in Canada’s leadership on environmental issues before an international body. I guess under the glare of television lights, and in the presence of international coverage, he forgot to mention his government’s refusal to protect the butterfly fields in Montreal’s Technoparc. This, despite the Monarch butterfly’s status as a species at risk. Did I forget the least bittern, a small heron also at risk, or concerns on the felling of old-growth forests, fracking, pipelines, and so much more? The government still argues that environmental decisions are based on science and not on personal or political ends.
It is my sincere hope that the “Drill Baby Drill” call for action stays south of the 49th and that our elected leaders do not buy into President Donald Trump’s total disregard for the environment.
Your voice matters
I call on all who are concerned about our environmental direction to call or email your federal representative and say that you expect action rather than more political delays.
NOTE: Some information taken from:
Stock Assessment of North Atlantic Harp Seals (Pagophilus Groenlandicus 2024)
Canadian Science Advisory Secretariat Science Advisory Board, report 2025/006
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of its author and do not reflect the opinions of WestmountMag.ca, its publishers or editors.
Feature image: Harp seal by Lysogeny, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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Thank you once again for an insightful and pertinent article, Mr. Dupras. I have taken your advice and written to my federal MP.
Canada’s annual seal hunt is a disturbing example of state-sanctioned animal cruelty that has no place in a modern, ethical society. The brutal killing of defenseless seals—often through inhumane methods—continues to stain Canada’s international reputation. Despite widespread public outcry, scientific condemnation, and a declining market for seal products, the government persists in defending this archaic practice, not out of necessity, but out of political cowardice and fear of confronting powerful industry interests.
Rather than leading with vision and compassion, the Canadian government has chosen to prop up a dying industry with subsidies and empty rhetoric. True leadership would involve investing in sustainable alternatives for coastal communities and putting an end to this cruelty once and for all. It’s time for Canada to show the moral courage the world expects from a country that claims to value animal welfare and environmental stewardship.