Canadian Expatriates, its contributors, and readers have been invited by Foreign Affairs Canada to participate in a series of eDiscussions. The current topic is “Showcasing Canadian Culture and Know-How Abroad”.

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What role does Canadian culture and know-how play in our foreign policy?

How might the government best promote Canadian talent and expertise in the world?

The eDiscussion runs from April 4 to May 6, 2005. At its conclusion, a summary of the discussion will be sent to senior policy planners.

The Expat admin team encourages its readers to join in the eDiscussion at the Canadian International Policy website.

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Think what you may of the seal hunts, but former Beatle turned celebrity activist Paul McCartney's plan of protest is just short of ridiculous.

It has been extensively reported that the ice in Gulf of St. Lawrence is unusually thin this year and that poor ice conditions may even stop this year's seal hunt altogether. Yet, despite a weather forecast for today that includes a freezing spray warning, winds of up to 55 kilometres per hour, and frigid temperatures, McCartney intends to land four helicopters - carrying McCartney, his wife, and a contingent of media and animal activists - to an area northwest of the Iles de la Madeleine in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Once there, McCartney plans to venture onto the ice floes to "interact" with a new born harp seal. Recently, Andrew Plumbley of the Humane Society of the United States and one of the organizers of the trip, said in an interview, "I imagine Paul will want to stroke one and if the seal's comfortable with that, well then he will do that."

If the megastar contingent does not plunge into the freezing waters of the Gulf, McCartney and his wife then plan to hold a press conference to explain why they are against the centuries old hunt and call upon Prime Minister Harper to "take swift and decisive action to end the slaughter of these defenseless seal pups for good."

The irony in all of this is that federal regulations prohibit people from disturbing marine mammals "unless authorized to do so under a valid license." As Frank Ring, spokesman for the federal Fisheries Department, explains it: "That means people shouldn't be touching them." Unless they have a license to kill, of course.