A victim of the 2009 seal slaughter. (c) Camille Labchuk

But for me, the EU’s actions mean more than simply a victory in the battle to end Canada’s seal kill. The EU trade ban also represents a triumph of democracy and in fact, speaks directly to the reason Canada still allows hundreds of thousands of seals to be killed each year: because democracy has failed Canadians.

The EU began the process of banning its trade in seal products because EU citizens demanded such measures from their government. As EU spokeswoman Barbara Helfferich explained, “The legislation was proposed because we had received tens of thousands of letters from concerned European citizens about the way the seals were killed.” Despite the enormous sums of taxpayers dollars the Canadian government blew on lobbying against the EU ban, democracy prevailed and EU citizens got the legislation they wanted. This is representative democracy in action.

Back to Canada. Like European citizens, Canadians also overwhelmingly oppose the commercial seal kill. We object to its cruelty, find the cost to our economy unacceptable, and are tired of the bloody stain it casts on our international reputation. When Senator Mac Harb courageously became the first Canadian politician to table a bill to end the killing, the positive response from the public was unprecedented. One senator received enough emails to crash his blackberry. Harb received so many petition signatures that he needed a van to deliver them to the PMO. As Harb said on the Senate floor, “During my four terms as an elected member of Parliament, there was no single issue that generated such a response from Canadians.”

This baby seal was clubbed dozens of times. (c) Camille Labchuk

It’s clear that Canadians care about this issue, and want the government to stop allowing baby seals to be bludgeoned to death. So, how has our government responded to these concerns? Well, they have arrested, jailed and prosecuted those who document the seal slaughter. They have wasted our tax dollars on futile EU lobbying efforts. The senator whose blackberry crashed threatened to call the RCMP on those who dared write to him. Parliamentarians voted unanimously (and ridiculously) to urge Olympic athletes to wear sealskin uniforms. And now, Stockwell Day is launching a $10 million World Trade Organization challenge to defend a mere $1 million industry. Even worse, not a single party in Parliament has the integrity to provide a voice to the democratic majority of Canadians. Only the Greens have taken a principled stance against the commercial seal kill (one more reason I’m proud to be a Green).

So today, I thank the EU for standing up to special interest groups like the sealing and fur lobbies and for hammering another (substantial) nail in the coffin of the sealing industry. I thank the EU for respecting the will of its citizens and upholding the principles of democracy. And I hope Canadian politicians will someday grasp the meaning of democracy, and courageously act on behalf the Canadians who wish this bloody industry to exist only in the pages of history books. Because at the most fundamental level, the continued existence of the commercial seal hunt truly represents a massive failure of our political system.

I’m more than used to our Prime Minister’s vicious personal attacks on Ignatieff, other opposition politicians, civil servants, NGOs, artists, disadvantaged people, and anyone else who gets in his way. Like most Canadians, I disapprove. But using the international stage to play politics and throw partisan mud at his opponents amplifies Harper’s poor behaviour many times over, and reflects very badly on our country. It’s highly inappropriate that, instead of using airtime to address foreign policy, Harper chooses domestic trash talk. He was so eager to bash Ignatieff that he didn’t even bother to use factual information. It’s like he just can’t help himself.

As Embassy Mag points out today, this isn’t the first time Harper or one of his ministers has embarassed Canada by using a foreign visit to diss his competitors instead of talking about Canada, about our issues, about our contributions. It’s no wonder that Harper has arguably the lowest profile of G8 leaders. As Canwest reporter David Akin explained to Embassy, he is so little-known that “photographers are constantly asking who Mr. Harper is.”

It’s easy to make the case that Harper is bad for our international image. His irresponsible, do-nothing climate policies isolate us. His vitriolic defence of the internationally-condemned commercial seal slaughter is an embarrassment. His refusal to seek repatriation for Canadian child soldier Omar Khadr is scandalous. These are only a few examples.

For the sake of our reputation, I sincerely hope we are rid of Harper soon. I’m tired of being embarassed by his ideologically-based policies and his frequent gaffes.