Eighty-five Percent of Canadians Support Ending the International Commercial Trade in Polar Bears

Yep, you read that right.  An overwhelming majority of Canadians -- a full 85% -- support the United States’ proposal to ban the international commercial trade in polar bear parts, according to a poll released yesterday.  If you’re wondering why that should be surprising, it’s because Canada has been fighting the U.S. proposal for months.

Canada is the only country in the world that allows polar bears to be hunted and then trades their parts internationally for profit.  Every year, Canada allows about 400 polar bears to be shot to feed this trade.

So how do Canadian’s react when they find out it’s their own government that is fighting to keep the polar bear fur trade legal?  Well, some of them change their tune, but an astounding 72% of Canadians disapprove of their governments actions, 52% of those disapprove “strongly.”  In electoral terms, that’s a route. 

Put it this way, Canadians disapprove of the international commercial trade in polar bears in greater number (not by much, but greater) than smoking in your car with your kid; and almost as many Canadians support ending the polar bear trade as support revoking the citizenship of those who commit acts of treason and terrorism against their fellow Canadians.

So, is Canada’s continued support of the international polar bear trade copasetic with average Canadians?  Not so much.