Honorable members of the Olympic Committee;
We the undersigned are concerned with announcements made by the Canadian Government that Canadian Olympic Athletes would be required to wear items made from harpseal pelts.
This is deeply disturbing to us as I am sure it is of great concern to participating countries as the seal products have now been banned in a number of countries. The recent news from the EU has put Canada on the defensive. The annual harp seal cull has been deemed brutal and inhumane by a growing number of countries. The EU voted overwhelmingly to ban such products.
"With the upcoming Winter Olympics that will be in Vancouver in 2010, the government has a chance to offer some concrete action to promote seal products," Bloc Quebec MP Raynald Blais said.
The head of the Canadian Olympic Committee said he intends to resist any effort to turn athletes into political spokespeople. "It would be inappropriate for us and I think it would be inappropriate to use the athletes as a voice for issues that accrue to other elements to our society."
People are concerned about these, and they%u2019re important things to be concerned about. I%u2019m certainly not diminishing them. But we couldn%u2019t begin to speak out about them, even if it was appropriate. There are many things in society that are worthy of social engagement.
We are asking that any attempt by the Canadian Government to use the Olympic games as a forum to promote their seal be stopped and enforced.
Sincerely,
Concerned Citizens of the World
