Ethical targets

The wealthy suburbanite’s love of Canada Goose may soon be shaken up by a small yet effectively specific anti-fur campaign against the company.

The recent campaign, spearheaded by the Association for the Protection of Fur-Bearing Animals, criticizes Canada Goose for its use of coyote fur, claiming that the trapping system they use to kill the coyotes causes them undue harm and injury.

This Toronto-based campaign isn’t unique in its goal. Organizations such as PETA are well-known for calling out countless large companies like KFC for their inhumane treatment of animals.

Unfortunately, this campaign might get lost in the noise of all of the other existing animal rights initiatives calling out similar corporate indiscretions.

Where this campaign finds its strength is in its specificity. An initiative of this sort is more likely to bring about change by targeting one company instead of an entire industry.

Regardless of whether Canada Goose’s hunting practices are harmful or not, they have been successful in job creation for Canadians in the hunting and trapping industry. But economic benefit doesn’t negate corporate responsibility.

Such small niche campaigns do provide an important check to corporations’ ethical standards. By raising questions about the way the coyotes are killed for their fur, the campaign could effectively raise awareness about how to create an ethical code for hunting and fur trapping in Canada. If customers demand a more ethical product, companies will likely be more willing to provide it.

The campaign is doing the right thing by starting small. Especially given the targeted nature of Canada Goose’s customer base, the campaign may actually succeed at bringing about changes in the way animals are hunted for their fur in Canada.

— Journal Editorial Board

Tags

animal, rights

All final editorial decisions are made by the Editor(s)-in-Chief and/or the Managing Editor. Authors should not be contacted, targeted, or harassed under any circumstances. If you have any grievances with this article, please direct your comments to journal_editors@ams.queensu.ca.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Skip to content