Seal meat gets thumbs down from most Canadians, new poll suggests

OTTAWA - A new poll suggests most Canadians would turn down a chance to dig into a plate of seal meat.

The Canadian Press Harris-Decima survey found that about four in 10 would sample seal if they had the chance, but almost 60 per cent said no thanks.

Seal meat appeared on the lunch menu at the parliamentary restaurant last week, with MPs and senators sampling the exotic fare.

Almost half the respondents in Atlantic Canada, Alberta and Quebec said they'd try seal.

Only one in three in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and British Columbia would follow suit.

The poll, part of a weekly omnibus phone survey, contacted just over 1,000 people and is considered accurate to within 3.1 percentage points, 19 times in 20.

Men were much more likely (50 per cent) to try seal than women (29 per cent).

Pollster Doug Anderson says the findings suggest that most people wouldn't have a problem with politicians dining on seal.

"While it's clearly not for everyone, there are many Canadians who would be willing to try seal meat themselves, if it were on the menu," he said.

"Assuming that some of those unwilling to try seal meat are nevertheless accepting that others eat it, the data suggest that serving it in the parliamentary restaurant is not a problem for many - perhaps most - Canadians."