 A polar bear swims underwater in the St-Felicien Wildlife Zoo in St-Felicien, Quebec October 31, 2011. REUTERS/Mathieu Belanger
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OTTAWA - A Conservative senator wants to retire the beaver as Canada's official animal and bring in the polar bear as its replacement.
"The beaver is a has-been," Nicole Eaton says. "It's a rat ... a big rat, that doesn't reflect our new values."
She also seems to hold a personal grudge against the animal.
"We have a cottage on Georgian Bay (in Ontario), and beavers eat away our dock every year. There are thousands of trees around, but no, they choose our dock," Eaton said.
Eaton, who comes from the department store family, was appointed to the Senate in 2009 by Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
The Ontario senator has called on her colleagues in the upper chamber to send North America's largest industrious rodent into the sunset and hopes to convince Harper to introduce a private member's bill in Parliament to replace the beaver with the polar bear.
"The polar bear, with its strength, courage, resourcefulness and dignity is perfect for the part," she said.
The beaver has had quite a ride since being given the honour of becoming the national symbol in 1975.
Its toothy grin and flat paddle-shaped tail have appeared on stamps, coats of arms, and is currently featured on the back of the nickel.
