The following is a guest post from actor and animal rights advocate Brigitte Bardot. A dedicated activist, whose foundation to help animals has tackled issues such as fur, horse slaughter, and companion animal overpopulation, Brigitte was the first celebrity to stand up for Canadian seals. Here, once again, she speaks out against the sinister seal slaughter.

© Prestige/Getty Images

When, in 2003, some politicians and talk-show hosts called for a boycott of French products because of my country's politics against the war in Iraq, sales of French wine dropped by 26 percent in the United States in just a few days. This boycott may have cost French winemakers $112 million because of lost sales overseas.

There is little doubt that consumer boycotts hit where it hurts the most—in the wallet!

These massive ethical reactions from consumers can sometimes convince a government or a corporation to change the way that it does business. That is why I am supporting PETA's boycott of Canadian maple syrup until the Canadian government agrees to ban the slaughter of seals on the ice floes, the largest massacre of marine mammals on Earth, forever.

Canadian law authorizes seal pups to be legally killed as soon as they have lost their white baby fur, which happens about two weeks after birth. On the ice floes, the seals are bludgeoned, and some are skinned while still alive. Each spring, this vision of horror returns: The ice floes become an open-air slaughterhouse, where some pups are left in agony, their mothers trying desperately to revive their small bloody bodies.

This gruesome bloodshed has only one purpose: to fuel the fur trade!

Canadian officials are accomplices to these massacres and spend huge amounts of money to support this dying industry, which is a stain on their reputation in the eyes of the world.

This is why we must act and make Canada understand that it would be criminal, irresponsible, and economically suicidal to continue with the commercial seal slaughter.

The United States and the European Union have banned seal products, but Canada produces about 85 percent of the world's maple syrup―the maple leaf is even the symbol of this country.

As French wine was the ideal product designated by Americans to protest France's pacifist stance, maple syrup is the ideal product to boycott in order to protest Canada's aggressive stance.

Refusing to buy maple syrup so as to refuse to be an accomplice to the slaughter perpetrated on the ice floes can send a strong message to Canadian officials. That's why I am asking you to join PETA and boycott Canadian products to let the leaders of this country know that the seal slaughter is inhumane and disgraceful and that it represents a threat to Canada's economy.

I've been leading this fight for more than 33 years now, and I've already had some victories―with you today, we can win the final fight. I'm really counting on you!

Posted by Brigitte Bardot

This week at the summit of North American leaders, President Obama discussed his stimulus plan, which is aimed at improving the U.S. economy. It includes a "buy American" clause that requires projects funded with stimulus money to use only American goods.

Guess who's up in arms?

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

Prime Minister Harper is concerned that if America switches to products made in the US of A instead of buying those made in Canada, his country will suffer a significant financial blow.

That's exactly what we've been saying!

By boycotting Canadian maple syrup—one of Canada's major revenue sources—consumers can help pressure the government to end the annual seal slaughter.

You heard the prime minister—buy American! But before you head out to the supermarket, check out these pictures from our latest demonstration outside the Canadian Consulate in Denver, Colorado:

Posted by Liz Graffeo

Always one to lend a helping hand flipper, our American Maple Syrup Campaign "spokesseal" was itching to get behind the wheel of a tractor to help out one Green Bay, Wisconsin, farmer who was eager to show his support for our Canadian maple syrup boycott.

It's a bird! It's a plane! It's … a seal driving a tractor?

As part of our relentless efforts to stop the Canadian seal slaughter, our seal is traversing the U.S. and urging people to choose maple syrup made in America as a way to put pressure on the Canadian government to stop the cruel killing of baby seals in Canada.

I've always wondered—does one need a driver's license to drive a syrup tractor?

So, where are you buying your syrup these days?

Posted by Karin Bennett

sacbee / CC

Catch this small sampling of the terrific responses we're getting to PETA's Canadian maple syrup boycott:

• Joan Cushman wrote, "Canadians need to start a revolution in their own country to help the seal pups, and so when I hear it from the Canadian maple syrup makers that they are telling the government to quit, I'll support them again."



• Alan Tarpin wrote, "The Canadian fish boycott is great, but I don't eat fish, so thanks for giving me something I can do. I've done up a flier about it and pushed one under every door in my apartment building."



• Richard Ling wrote, "Sad that people listen to their business interests over their hearts. I have always loved Canadian maple syrup, hell there's a good reason the maple leaf's on their flag. This boycott is brilliant because it calls them out on an iconic product that everyone associates with Canada. I hope these guys write in support of an end to the seal killing soon so I can buy it again. Honest, I'm suffering here!"

And a special thanks to the restaurants and pancake houses that have already pledged not to buy Canadian maple syrup—at least until this massacre ends. Economic pressure is what often makes the difference.

Perhaps best of all are the pictures we've received of people throwing their Canadian maple syrup bottles in the trash can. A picture is worth a thousand words, as they say. In this case, they're worth about 338,000 (that's the "quota" of baby seals who were clubbed to death this year).

We'd definitely love to see more of these pictures so we can show Canada that its reputation is in the trash can—literally. You can submit your photos here with your name, hometown, and a heartfelt message to the Canadian government. Then look for your picture here on the PETA Files later this month.

Posted by Shawna Flavell

frontiersoups / CC

Plainly put: Money talks, and governments are slow to change the status quo unless they are compelled by an overwhelming response from outside forces.

Canada produces 85 percent of the world's maple syrup, and the maple leaf is known throughout the world to represent Canada. And, unlike seal skins, which have been banned throughout the U.S. and Europe, Canadian maple syrup is a product found in many grocery stores and kitchen pantries. A boycott of this iconic product will send a strong message to the Canadian government that people living both in and outside the country will not stand by while baby seals are beaten and skinned in front of their bellowing mothers.

The Canadian government has claimed that it continues to support the seal massacre for economic reasons. By boycotting maple syrup, continuing to hold demonstrations around the world, and targeting the upcoming 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, we will send the message that continuing the massive commercial seal slaughter will hurt Canada's economy far more than it helps it. Every time someone takes PETA's online pledge to boycott Canadian maple syrup, we will send a copy directly to Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Canada's Minister of International Trade Stockwell Day so that they realize how hard their continued support of the seal slaughter is hitting them in the wallet.

Canadian officials may turn a blind eye to seals' immense suffering, but the outcry against the seal slaughter echoes around the globe. Many compassionate Canadians have already spoken out against the slaughter, and PETA hopes that, as this year's slaughter draws to a close, Canadians will rally to defend their international reputation and tell their government once and for all that they will no longer stand by as this bloody massacre takes place in their country.

As a pancake and seal lover, I'll be buying only American maple syrup until Canada comes to its senses. Won't you join us?

Posted by Karin Bennett

Since Vermont is America's top producer of maple syrup, we figured that the state capital was the best place to launch our international boycott of Canadian maple syrup. Of course, Vermonters have always had a soft spot for their state's delicious syrup, but now there's yet another reason for all consumers to buy only American syrup—it's cruelty-free! Check out the pictures from the demonstration:

PETA's "seal" wielded a hakapik (the weapon sealers use to kill baby seals) and was given the chance to take out his aggression toward sealers on a 6-foot-tall bottle of gooey Canadian "maple syrup."

The blood-red contents of this bottle are symbolic of the real blood spilled by Canadian sealers during their annual slaughter.

We definitely won the fight against this massive bottle of syrup, but we still have more to do to help end the Canadian seal slaughter for good—so urge your local restaurateurs to boycott Canadian maple syrup now!

Canada has ignored calls from around the world to stop the seal slaughter, but we're hoping that a plunge in maple syrup sales will get the government's attention. So, as one compassionate Vermonter so accurately screamed out his window as he drove by the demonstration, "Vermont syrup saves seals!"

Posted by Liz Graffeo

When it comes to what we drizzle on our pancakes, grits, and oatmeal, we've all got our preferences. If, like me, you prefer pure maple syrup over Aunt Jemima or Log Cabin (corn) syrup, taking a minute to see where your favorite restaurants' syrup comes from—and encouraging them not to buy the stuff imported from Canada—can help put an end to the seal slaughter.

Why maple syrup?

Canada produces about 85 percent of the world's maple syrup, an industry that rakes in around $C213 million each year. Our newest campaign encourages restaurants and grocery chains to boycott Canada's multimillion-dollar syrup industry. By persuading businesses to sign our pledge, you'll be letting the Canadian government know that the country is going to get a serious hit in the wallet unless it declares an end to the seal massacre.

If your local eatery is already using American maple syrup, pour it on thick (it's safe to use Aunt Jemima and Log Cabin too) and thank the owner that no seal blood was spilled for your breakfast or brinner.

Posted by Shawna Flavell