Tomorrow, a pack of PETA protesters—adhering to social distancing guidelines and wearing masks—will descend on a Canada Goose store at the Mall of America to demand that the company stop using feathers from slaughtered birds and fur from coyotes caught in steel traps. Instead of handing out leaflets, demonstrators will display a QR code that passersby can scan to access a hands-free “virtual leaflet” with information about the cruelty inherent in every Canada Goose garment.
Where: At the southeast corner of E. Ramp South Entrance and Killebrew Drive, Bloomington
When: Saturday, October 3, 11:30 a.m.
“Behind every fur-collared and down-filled jacket are coyotes who fought for their lives while ensnared in traps and gentle geese whose throats were slit,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “PETA wants everyone who objects to animal suffering to realize that the last place they should shop is Canada Goose.”
PETA notes that trapped coyotes can succumb to the elements, blood loss, infection, or attacks by predators before trappers return to kill them. Geese and ducks used for down are typically shoved into crates and shipped in all weather extremes to slaughterhouses, where they’re stunned, their throats are cut, and they’re dunked into scalding-hot defeathering tanks.
Following a PETA complaint and a subsequent Federal Trade Commission investigation, Canada Goose has stopped claiming that its standards ensure that its suppliers don’t abuse animals.
Broadcast-quality video footage is available upon request. PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to wear”—opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview. For more information, please visit PETA.org.
Holiday traditions are comforting, but if there’s one thing that we’ve learned from the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s that we sometimes have to get creative and find new ways of doing things. This is nothing new to vegans, who excel at modifying their families’ traditions and cherished recipes and creating even better versions that don’t harm animals. Most supermarkets, including Safeway and Sobeys, now stock a variety of animal-free options—from dairy-free butter to vegan chicken—so swapping ingredients is a snap.
Sometimes, our favorite foods are already vegan. We call these gems “accidentally vegan.” But there’s also a vegan version of nearly everything! Just be sure to check food labels for sneaky ingredients like honey. Here are some of our favorite easy-to-find holiday products:
Vegan eggnog is available from several brands and comes in original and fun flavored varieties, such as pumpkin and peppermint.
Premade Desserts
Daiya makes frozen vegan cheesecakes that come in a variety of flavors. Claim Jumper, Marie Callender’s, and Costco all make “accidentally vegan” pies in flavors like apple, cherry, peach, and raspberry. Serve them all with vegan whipped cream!
Vegan Baking Essentials
Vegan versions of baking essentials like butter, eggs, and chocolate chips are all readily available at most grocery stores.
These hearty, warming dishes will help bring compassion and comfort to your table:
Going vegan is the best choice that you can make for animals, the environment, and your own health. Our free Vegan Mentor Program can help you navigate the holidays as a vegan:
Canadians are starting to prepare for the country’s Thanksgiving, which is in mid-October. But this year, PETA is officially dubbing the holiday “ThanksVegan”—and we’re inviting you to join in the animal-friendly celebration!
How to Create a Canadian ThanksVegan Menu
Make a feast complete with roast, stuffing, potatoes, gravy, and more—all without animal body parts or fluids. PETA has you covered if you want to get creative in the kitchen this year. Here are just a few standard Canadian ThanksVegan recipes to get you started:
Want to make whipping up your ThanksVegan dinner as easy as possible? While many vegan ingredients like Brussels sprouts and canned pumpkin are available at almost any grocery store in Canada, here’s a list of chains that are celebrating ThanksVegan by selling vegan roasts and other delicious products this year:
Get Inspired for ThanksVegan With These Vegan Canadian Influencers
Gravy and potatoes are great, but why not think outside the boxed stuffing? These vegan Canadian influencers offer simple ways to max out flavor and fun this ThanksVegan:
Rose of Cheap Lazy Vegan specializes in inexpensive vegan recipes for people who don’t know how to cook. Check out her traditional Korean dishes and other simple, flavorful meals.
Afia Amoako’s blog is full of colorful and healthy vegan recipes. Brighten up your ThanksVegan menu with any of her comforting vegan stews, soups, bowls, or other dishes.
Bodybuilder Derek of Simnett Nutrition offers a variety of tasty, whole-food vegan recipes. Elevate any of your ThanksVegan dishes with his signature homemade sauces.
Lauren Toyota of Hot for Food specializes in restaurant-quality vegan comfort food. Impress your friends and family this ThanksVegan with one of her many holiday recipes, like this delicious stuffed acorn squash.
Celebrate ThanksVegan With PETA by Sharing Our Billboards’ Message
If you’re waiting for a sign to go vegan, this is it! The COVID-19 pandemic has made it clear to the world that slaughtering animals for food, fur, or other human interests could be the death of us all. Canadian farms and slaughterhouses are just as filthy as “wet markets” like the one where the novel coronavirus is believed to have originated. The only way to prevent future pandemics is to stop killing animals now. That’s why PETA is encouraging people across Canada to go vegan this Thanksgiving and every day after.
As part of a national ad campaign urging everyone to give turkeys a break and celebrate this year’s holiday with a vegan feast, PETA has launched “I’m ME, Not MEAT” billboards across Canada.
Check out our new billboards, which are located near grocery stores and helping to spread this vital message:
Turkeys are caring parents and spirited explorers who can live up to 10 years, but those raised for food are normally slaughtered when they’re between 12 and 26 weeks old—and millions are killed each year for Thanksgiving alone. The young birds are hung by their feet from metal shackles and dragged through an electrified bath, and they’re often still conscious when their throats are slit and they’re dumped into scalding-hot defeathering tanks.
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Going vegan is easier now than ever—and PETA is making it even simpler. Sign up for a free vegan mentor and request a vegan starter kit to go vegan just in time for the ThanksVegan holiday. For the sake of us all, share this blog post with a friend to help them go vegan today!
Cozy sweater season is upon us once again! As the weather cools off, you might be looking to add some new knitwear to your wardrobe. Not all of it is the same, however, as some kinds are made with materials that aren’t friendly to animals. Wool, angora, cashmere, mohair, and other materials are taken from sheep, alpacas, rabbits, and other animals who experience pain, fear, love, and joy. The industries that use these animals treat them like objects, not the individuals they actually are. Make sure you aren’t supporting this cruelty by choosing only vegan fall knits made from vegan fabrics such as cotton, hemp, microfiber, bamboo, and linen.
We’ve gathered these vegan fall knits to help you find your favorite:
Get cozy-chic just in time for fall with Apparis’ first-ever knitwear collection, featuring an assortment of bold, luxurious vegan cashmere pieces that are perfect for revamping your fall wardrobe. Note that 5% of the collection’s proceeds go to support PETA’s vital work to help animals.
By choosing vegan materials in your wardrobe, you’ll be helping to save the lives of countless animals. Going vegan is also the best personal change that you can make to help protect the environment and to improve your personal health. For more information about vegan style, see our guide:
