"The IWC does not have legal competence for the management of small cetaceans".

Extract from Letter:

...It is the Government of Canada's view that the International Whaling Commission does not have legal competence for the management of small cetaceans. As members of the Commission will also be aware, the status of stocks of narwhal and beluga in Canadian waters is subject to a peer review process on regular basis similar to that followed for fish stocks. In addition, the assessment of the status of stocks of narwhal and beluga which migrate between Canadian and Greenland waters is undertaken by the Scientific Working Group of the Canada/Greenland Joint Commission on Narwhal and Beluga. Status reports resulting from these assessments are available to the public.

It is the view of the Government of Canada that since peer reviewed stock assessment and the provision of scientific advice on stocks of narwhal and beluga in Canadian waters is already being provided, there is no need for the IWC's Scientific Committee to conduct a review of these stocks. Should the IWC's Scientific Committee decide to proceed with such a review in 1998, it is unlikely that Canada would send scientists to such a meeting.