Inuit ’sweet little eskimos’

Nunavut hunters will suffer financially even if they are exempted from a proposed European Union ban on seal imports, says Iqaluit lawyer Aaju Peter.

Peter, a member of the sealing subcommittee of the Fur Institute of Canada, said the exemptions in the proposed EU ban will "mean absolutely nothing" in real terms.

"They are just there to make Europeans feel politically correct," she said. "So they can say: ‘we did exempt those sweet little Eskimos'."

The reality, she said, is that once a major ban is instituted, it will knock down all sealskin prices – no matter who harvested them, or how – and "cut into our ability to sell our sealskins effectively."

Barry Rashotte, director-general of resource management for Fisheries and Oceans Canada, said proposed amendments to rules governing sealing involve the use of the hakapik or seal club that is common in the Atlantic Canada seal harvest, as well as other changes to ensure humane harvesting of seals.

They're intended, he said, to head off some of the effects of the proposed EU ban

But they will not affect Inuit hunting practices, he said.

The point of the amendments, which are based on advice from the International Veterinarians' Working Group, is to address European Union concerns about the east coast hunt, so that Canadian sealskins can still be sold in and shipped through member countries.

The proposed EU ban will not apply to seal products harvested in a humane and sustainable fashion or by indigenous peoples, like the Inuit, exercising their traditional rights.

Selling sealskins is the only extra cash income many Inuit people have, especially in the smaller communities, Peter said.

She said the proposed EU ban, which is largely a response to pressure by animal rights activist groups, is the result of "the Bambi-fication of animals."

Baby seals have big eyes, and are very cute, she said, like Bambi, the baby deer in the famous Walt Disney animated feature film of the same name.

Many of the people who are on the anti-sealing bandwagon would like to ban the seal harvest altogether, Peter said. "They have no connection to hunting, or to living off the land."

Right now, the Nunavut government's sealskin purchase program puts about half a million dollars a year directly into the pockets of Nunavut seal hunters.

That's Nunavut's share of an international sealskin trade worth about $16 million a year to Canada, according to figures provided by Rashotte. Seal oil and meat exports are worth an additional $1.6 million.

The GN buys about 9,000 to 10,000 skins a year from Inuit hunters, for an average of $50 to $55 each, depending on pelt quality and size.

It then resells them at auction in North Bay.

About a third of Canada's sealskin exports, and half the meat and oil exports, go directly to EU countries, according to Rashotte's figures.

Threats of the EU ban on sealskin imports, combined with the current global economic slump, have GN officials worried that auction prices may drop significantly, said a spokesperson for the Nunavut sealskin program.

If prices received for Nunavut sealskins at the current fur auction – scheduled for today in North Bay, Ont. – are significantly reduced, the GN will have to either pass the lower prices on to hunters when buying future pelts, or bite the bullet and subsidize pelt prices as it did in the late 1980s during earlier seal boycotts.

And the proposed EU ban will likely be a factor in any reduction.

In 1977, before the first boycott, Inuit were selling 50,000 sealskins outside the region. Twenty years later, by 1998, that number had dropped to 1,000 skins, averaging just $10 to $15 a pelt.

The Hudson Bay Co. stopped buying them altogether, forcing the territorial government to implement its own program, the one the GN is still running.

Today, the number of pelts harvested and sold has slowly climbed back to about 10,000, at an average price of $50 to $55.

Statistics Canada estimates that Nunavut hunters harvest between 35,000 and 40,000 seals a year, those not sold directly to the GN for auction down south are used locally for arts, clothing and crafts.

The replacement value of seal meat eaten in the communities is estimated at $5 million, which is five times the value of all other economic benefits of seal hunting.

Seal meat is also an excellent source of good, nutritious food, high in both vitamin C and omega-3 fatty acids, which contribute to heart health.

Seal hunting is central to the Inuit culture and community life, says Statistics Canada.