A So-Called U.S. Charity Receives Money from the Federal Government

The following letter was addressed to Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard Bernadette Jordan and Minister of Environment and Climate Jonathan Wilkinson.

The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) is an American-based animal rights organization headquartered in the U.S., but propagandizing worldwide.

The IFAW is a multi-million-dollar animal rights activist group. It has built its multi-million-dollar brand attacking the people and Parliament of Canada because of Canada’s continuing and historic seal hunt which contributes to the livelihood of many thousands of Canadian citizens.

It stands to profit from managing the money they receive from the government of Canada. For decades, this group has vilified Canadian citizens and castigated the Canadian parliament for failing to change Canadian legislation to suit their wishes — outlawing sealing in Canada.

Given this history, why has Environment and Climate Change Canada (with the agreement of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans [DFO]) given $80,000 to this American group? Is it that ECCC and DFO are ignorant of the role this group has played in demonizing Canada for over half a century?

Is it that Ministers Wilkinson and Jordan blindly followed the “advice” of their advisors? Is it that the minions and politicians in Ottawa are so detached from reality that they simply have no idea of the activities of IFAW that have not only caused foreign governments to ban Canadian products, but negatively impacted on Canadian industries ranging from fishing to tourism to manufacturing  and their respective supply chains?

It appears that the IFAW is planning to fund a Canadian clean harbours group whose activities are the essence of “green.”

This is not only an incredible irony but, more importantly, this decision by Ministers Jonathan Wilkinson and Bernadette Jordan is an insult, a slap in the face, to the thousands of rural Canadians throughout the county, in particular those of Quebec and Newfoundland and Labrador, who have been specifically victimized by the propaganda of this American animal rights organization.

The people of Nunavut have also been victims of this vile propaganda, even though in an attempt to appear politically correct, the IFAW exempts the Inuit from its comments.

Ministers Wilkinson and Jordan, stand up and acknowledge that you were misled by your advisors and do the right thing — rescind your decision and directly fund the harbour clean-up group.

The IFAW presentation to your advisors was its second effort at “green washing” (trying to get people to think differently about their activities). Its first was a successful effort to get its logo jointly exhibited with that of DFO and the Grand Manan Island whale rescue group.

Jim Winter
St. John’s, N.L.