Summary: In 2010, the European Union voted to impose a ban on the import of all seal-based products. That was a devastating blow for the sealing industry in this province. So, last year, the government of Canada decided to appeal the ban to the world trade organization. The process has been dragging since then, but this week, the federal government decided to push the issue and ask the WTO to appoint a committee to deal with it. This comes at the same time Canada is finalizing details of a free trade agreement with the EU, which pro-ban parliamentarians have said they'd reject if the seal appeal goes ahead. To find out what this all means, and whether the end result might benefit the seal industry in this province, I called Peter Clark. He's an international trade expert, based in Ottawa.
