Paul McCartney In Halifax Concert

Before you go all ga-ga over Paul McCartney coming to Halifax to play a concert on the Common, remember McCartney and his wife were very outspoken and negative about the Canadian seal hunt, going on the ice for a photo op and so forth, bringing detrimental attention to the Newfoundland sealers, as well as Canada as a whole.

McCartney's concern for the seals apparently outweighed his concern for the maritime fishing industry, who were and are victims of a disappearing lifestyle. It was 2006 when he and his wife Heather went to Prince Edward Island in a visit arranged by the Humane Society of the United States, which wanted the media attention to put pressure on the federal government to end the hunt.

The seals, who decimate the fish population, have achieved record populations at an estimated 5.9 million, up from two million in the 1970s, tell me that doesn't have an impact on the fishery.

At that time, McCartney called on the Prime Minister to end the seal hunt, saying it was a "stain" on Canada's character...I guess he doesn't like our character, just our concert money.

McCartney wrote an open letter to then prime minister Paul Martin, asking him to ban the seal hunt, saying, "We wanted to put you on notice that if Canada moves forward with another hunt next year, we will do all we can to focus attention on this unjustified, outdated and truly horrific practice, including, potentially, visiting the seals and the ice."

It amazes me how soon we forget.....