Op-Ed: Canada's Governor General Licks Her Bloody Fingers

Canada's Governor General, Michaelle Jean, floored most Canadians and other watchers when she ate a piece of raw seal heart. Opinions on her actions are divided.

There is a great deal of controversy in Canada over Michaelle Jean's participation in an Inuit community ceremonial feast. During this ceremony, held at Rankin Inlet, she not only cut open a seal, she also ate a piece of raw seal heart. There is broad condemnation for Michaelle Jean's actions, especially from animal rights activists. In comparison to the furor over Michaelle Jean's new taste for blood (as people are saying), there is some support for the Governor General, most notably from the residents of Rankin Inlet. Confusing the matter, some people seem to believe that Michaelle Jean's eating of raw seal meat means that she also supports Canada's controversial seal hunt (wherein baby seals have been clubbed and skinned -- not always dead prior to being skinned). An interesting aspect to this issue that has not been acknowledged by the "outraged" faction is the fact that the Inuit cannot eke out a subsistence on vegetables. Due to the nature of the climate and environment where they live, the Inuit are meat eaters. They have been for thousands of years. One would think that today, thanks to globalization, the Inuit would not have a need to obtain food by hunting or fishing any longer. They could conceivably even convert to a vegan diet if they wanted, right? Don't they have grocery stores now? There are grocery stores in Rankin Inlet, Nunavut. However, the price of food in Arctic grocery stores is very high because the food must either be flown or shipped in. Thus subsistence activities are a very important part of life for the peoples of Canada's Arctic regions. It is worth noting that Inuit hunters and fishermen do not sell their catches to the community, but instead, share their food with community members. Considering that one of the roles that the Governor General plays is to "encourage Canadians to build a strong and compassionate society," it would appear that Michaelle Jean was simply fulfilling her role when she visited Rankin Inlet and participated fully in the ceremony. Furthermore, it appears that people have forgotten that Michaelle has roots in Haiti. Heritage, obviously, does not automatically make a person compassionate or even respectful. However, it has been apparent to Governor General watchers that Michaelle's heritage informs her present day personna and attributes. Through the years that Michaelle has held the office of Governor General, she has shown her fellow Canadians nothing but respect. In the case of her participation in the Inuit ceremony, Michaelle was paying ultimate respect to the people of Rankin Inlet. And for that, Michaelle deserves to be commended.