Dear Editor,

My thanks to Mike Harvey [Lack of fur ban disgraceful, March 29 Letters, Langley Advance] and Sharon Schacter [Cat, dog fur disgurst shared, April 3 Letters, Langley Advance] for bringing to your readers' attention once again the fact that Canada imports unlabelled dog and cat fur, even though other civilized nations have banned it, including the European Union, the UK, and Australia.

Our Conservative government has no interest in this issue, but other federal parties do. Before Parliament at this time are the following Private Members' Bills:

Bill C-232: An Act to Amend the Criminal Code (Cruelty to Animals) - Peggy Nash, NDP

Bill C-274 & C-277: Acts to Amend the Criminal Code (Cruelty to Animals) - Hedy Fry, Liberal

Bill C-296: An Act to Amend the Canada Consumer Product Safety Act and the Textile Labelling Act (Animal fur or skin) - Libby Davies, NDP

None of these Bills has so far reached beyond "first reading" in the House of Commons.

Do Canadians really care? After all, we are fur traders.

I believe that Canadians would put their foot down when it comes to untold cruelty of dogs and cats in Asia, by the millions.

It is disappointing that our Conservative government has no interest in this breach of human/animal ethics. Their excuse has been that banning the import of dog and cat fur from China would hinder Canada's export of seal pelts.

The seal kill is dead now, finally, due to shrinking sea ice and reduced value of seal pelts. So what is stopping Canada from banning the import of unlabelled dog and cat fur?

Ask our MP, Mark Warawa, to take this message to Ottawa, and to vote in favour of these Private Members' Bills, if they ever receive second or third readings in the House of Commons.

Sharon Stephenson, Langley