All things are connected. The way we treat our fellow earthlings affects ourselves and the environment and nowhere is this more evident than the negative impacts of animal agriculture, one of the most destructive industries on the planet. Besides causing suffering on a monstrous scale, it is responsible for creating more greenhouse gases than all forms of transportation combined, environmental degradation, habitat and species loss, fresh water waste and pollution, ocean acidification and dead zones, has negative human health implications, is creating antibiotic resistant microbes and checks off all the boxes for conditions that will lead to the next pandemic. We need to operationalize the Canada Food Guide, end subsidies to animal ag and help farmers transition to a compassionate, efficient, sustainable and healthy plant-based food system.

It was Gandhi who said, "The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated." We ain't doin' so good. Canada has the shameful reputation of having some of the weakest animal protection and transport laws in the developed world. Recent incidents of horrific cruelty that have made the news in Manitoba have brought this into bold relief. Under Canadian law, animals are considered property and not even recognized as sentient. Sadly, any attempt at meaningful change, no matter how incremental, is met with vehement opposition by industry with vested interests. I have no doubt advancements would be made if we had proportional representation where all votes count and every voice is heard. In countries where PR exists, members of animal rights parties have been voted into parliament.

I am not running "against" anyone. I am running "for" the animals. Their voices must be part of the discussion if we are to reach a place of true reconciliation. Otherwise we are merely regurgitating the same anthropocentric and colonial narrative that got us into the mess we find ourselves today.