N.L. First Nations chief seeking a reversal of fur product ban on Etsy

OTTAWA – A Newfoundland and Labrador First Nations chief says the decision of a prominent online retailer to ban fur products is discriminatory against Indigenous artisans and traditions. 

Etsy, which allows creators, artists and other sellers to create online marketplaces for their wares on its platform, says nearly all products containing animal fur will be banned in August.

Chief Jenny Brake, leader of the Qalipu First Nation in western Newfoundland, says First Nations have been responsibly harvesting animals, such as seals, and using them in trade and traditional products since time immemorial. 

“Not just for necessity, but as a part of trade, as a part of our place in the economy and our place in the ecosystem,” Brake said in an interview Wednesday. “And we feel very strongly that being left out of a decision like this that impacts us once again goes against our right to have a say in how things are done. It goes against economic reconciliation.” 

Brake, who says she worked as a fur processor in a tannery during her 20s, introduced a resolution at this week’s Assembly of First Nations general assembly in Ottawa that would see the organization ask Etsy for a policy reversal. She said she hopes Etsy will talk to the assembly in order to see how its policy will impact the lives of Indigenous artisans. 

Etsy, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday, says on its website it will prohibit products that include endangered or threatened species as well as “products made from or containing natural animal fur, regardless of age or origin,” as of Aug. 11.

The company says the policy does not apply to taxidermy or byproducts such as leather, sheepskin, cowhide, wool or mohair. There’s also an exemption for fur products from sellers registered with the U.S. Indian Arts and Crafts Board. There’s no mention of a similar exemption for Indigenous producers in Canada.

Jen Shears is a fur harvester and the Mi’kmaq co-owner of Natural Boutique, a Rocky Harbour, N.L.-based company with a store in St. John’s that specializes in seal products, especially clothing.  She says fur harvesting has a hugely positive impact in Indigenous and small rural communities where other economic opportunities might not exist. 

She described fur and animal skin products as renewable, biodegradable resources that are humanely harvested and says it’s backwards to remove them from the market when the planet needs those kind of sustainable products.  

“When you start essentially shutting down the sustainable ones, that’s quite concerning,” Shears said in an interview Thursday.  “Communities are trying to get into more long-term viable things, not just kind of tear the landscape apart and rob what (they) can from it. So things like renewable fur is really where it’s at long term. It’s unfortunate to see bans like that come to play.” 

Doug Chiasson, executive director of the Fur Institute of Canada, says the fur industry has seen a resurgence in recent years with younger consumers looking to move away from synthetic products in favour of natural fibres. He said that’s mostly people under 45 who were quite young during high-profile anti-fur campaigns decades ago.  

“We see a very clear generational cutoff,” Chiasson said in an interview. “These consumers, younger, sustainability-minded consumers (are) going, ‘Well, what does this product do for the environment or do to the environment? What does this project do to support communities?’” 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 16, 2026.

– By Devin Stevens in Halifax.