A BoB short
Presumably torn between his roles as a Canadian icon and politically-active celebrity, rock-icon Bryan Adams has adamantly kept the seal-hunting debate out of his shows. But while promoting his tour of Atlantic Canada, he was asked by The Telegram if performing in Newfoundland and Labrador was hypocritical, given his ties to PETA and their anti-seal hunt campaign.
“I’m coming to Newfoundland for my fans and to play music, not to get drawn into a debate with the seal killing industry,” Adams told The Telegram. “I’m a veggie and against the deliberate killing of all animals, not just seals, so for those people that want to protest about my coming to play a gig, make sure to get all the chicken farmers, cow farmers, and fishermen to march in unity at my presence.”
Dion Dakins, CEO of seal processing company Carino, made an appearance outside of Adams’ concert in support of the seal industry, though not with a coalition of meat industries. Instead, he drove up in a company van, from which he sold pelts and other seal products.
“It’s not a boycott of Bryan Adams or anything else. This is not about Bryan Adams — this is about an industry that’s trying to survive,” he told CBC News.
Other musicians have been less “Canadian” than Adams and Dakin in debating the issue. British musician Morrissey recently proclaimed Canada “fashionably dead.” After a spokesperson for Minister of Fisheries and Oceans Gail Shea urged Morrissey “to consider the impact that his ignorant and inflammatory statements have on the livelihoods of thousands of hard-working men and women in rural communities,” Morrissey brought the argument to its logical conclusion, comparing the seal hunt to the Holocaust. Welcome to the internet.
Meanwhile, at least one musician, Nunavut singer-songwriter Tanya Tagaq, has spoken out in favour of the seal hunt. Tag
aq posted a picture of her baby son next to a dead seal, as part of the #sealfie campaign, an online movement defending Inuit tradition. A slew of harassment followed, including a petition to have her son taken away from her. Tagaq, who is currently touring Europe, told CBC News that she is not considering legal action against the online harassment, for which the internet is grateful.
– Drew McLachlan
The seal atrocities are literally no different than the atrocities committed in the concentration camps and that is an accurate comparison. Canada’s reputation is in the sewer because of this barbaric bloodbath atrocity led by the Harper criminal and his groveling sadistic Gail Shea “fisheries minister”.
Harper is a globally recognized as a dangerously corrupt political leader and is universally condemned by the global community. Harper uses extortion, threats and bribes to peddle his dirtiest oil on earth tar sands.. which has devastated once pristine Alberta ecosystems and wilderness and their native inhabitants.. along with many other of his cronies’ projects which harm environments worldwide. He has sabotaged climate talks, he blocks laws for animal cruelty and endangered species protection, he promotes horrific wildlife massacre bloodbaths, such as the harp seal pup bloodbaths (ignoring the entire world which has banned and boycotted Canada for that atrocity) and many other less publicized ones like elk massacres and endangered polar bear trophy hunts. he indulges in massive land and air pollution across Canada and clearcutting of old growth. Along with his crushing of laws upholding human rights, and his arms peddlng and warmongering, Harper has shown he’s simply a threat to the public and must be removed from public office