After interning with PETA, I was asked to spearhead PETA's campaign to end Canada's commercial seal slaughter. I left my family and friends on June 1, 2009, and moved to Ottawa to follow Prime Minister Stephen Harper everywhere he goes wearing a baby seal costume and the sign "Harper: Stop the Seal Slaughter". It's been over 2 years now, and I'll be following Canada's Prime Ministers until the slaughter stops.
For an entire year I would go to the Prime Minister's house at 24 Sussex Drive to catch him as he left for work (approximately 8:15am every morning). He always travels in a motorcade of several black vehicles, chauffeured by RCMP/Secret Service, and sometimes even followed by SWAT teams. I would wave my little helpless seal flipper for all the harp seals on the East Coast, and get a wave from Harper in return.
I don't only follow Harper around Ottawa, but also across Canada when he travels. I've followed Harper to Quebec City (3 times), Calgary (twice), Kitchener (ON), Markham (ON), Chelsea (QC), Guelph (ON), Oakville (ON), Toronto (three times), Saint John (NB), Sherbrooke (QC), Riviere-du-Loup (QC), Truro (NS), Thundery Bay (ON), Niagara-On-The-Lake (ON), Montreal (too many times to count) and even St. John's Newfoundland! I'm sure I'm missing some. I'm at the Ottawa International Airport every time the Prime Minister departs to other countries (where other PETA seals greet him).
I've greeted guests at the Prime Minister's garden parties, trick or treat events on Halloween, and attended all of his speaking events in Ottawa. I've even jumped on a midnight greyhound bus to arrive at 8am to greet him in another city, and spent countless hours sweating to death in scorching heat or freezing in bitter winters to make sure that the Prime Minister got the message. I've kept track of where the Prime Minister has been every single day for over two years to make sure this message follows him wherever he goes. Thanks to any volunteers that came out and helped me :)
Harper has definitely taken notice - he's seen me hundreds of times. In fact, his whole office knows me by name; unfortunately the Canadian government doesn't listen to the people, and the seal slaughter continues. But I won't stop being a seal until the slaughter ends - a pie to the face in Newfoundland couldn't even deter me, instead it got the issue on national news - that and Emily McCoy pieing Gail Shea in the face a few days before.
With the election coming up - I have to wonder how many different Prime Ministers I'll have to follow before the seal slaughter finally shuts down :)
