And that’s because for 10 years, the federal government ignored our pleas, the hundreds of thousands of signatures, and the simple logic that necessitates Canada’s labelling laws must be updated.
As you likely read in the story we broke with The National Observer last week, a trendy clothing chain based in Vancouver – Kit and Ace – was telling consumers that a certain type of fur on a toque was raccoon; it was in fact raccoon dog. This fur-bearer, farmed excessively in Asian countries, is a member of the canine family. The name ‘Asiatic raccoon’ was coined by the fur industry to try and make potential buyers more comfortable with selling dog skin.
But Kit and Ace isn’t the problem; they’re just a business looking to make a buck. The real problem is that businesses can intentionally (and sometimes unintentionally) mislead consumers for the sake of making a buck, and our government has done nothing to prevent it.
Unlike almost every other democratic nation west of Russia, Canada’s labelling laws do not require that species and country of origin of fur on clothing be listed. In fact, fur itself doesn’t need to be listed as one of the materials used in clothing (or toys, trinkets, etc.), so long as it hasn’t been removed from the skin (which it almost never is).
The Harper government ignored the private members’ bills, the petitions, and the media outcry over this ridiculously outdated policy.
Now that we have a Prime Minister who is interested in transparency, honesty, and integrity, we hope to see change.
TAKE ACTION
Sign our petition demanding that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his colleagues at Industry Canada take action on this and immediately reintroduce bills such as those presented by (now-retired) MP Libby Davies to ban the importation of cat and dog fur and require labelling on any product that includes fur (species, country of origin, and conditions of procurement).
You should also write to your own MP (find your MP by clicking here) and tell them you expect them to support any such legislation.
Click here to sign the petition
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