On Tuesday, the European Union passed a bill which banned trade on seal products. The Canadian government opposes this move. Seal hunting has been a controversial issue for a long time, mostly because of claims that it is inhumane. However, the seal hunt has been a tradition of Newfoundland and Labrador’s First Nations People for hundreds of years, and many communities are heavily dependent on it. Eastern Canada’s hunt is the largest in the world. Government officials, including Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Trade Minister Stockwell Day have announced that they plan to challenge the ban at the World Trade Organization.