'Terrifying and sinister': Jann Arden on the export of thousands of Canadian horses to be slaughtered for meat
The morning after being honoured for her music, artist, actress and activist Jann Arden spoke to CTV News about an entirely different Canadian export.
Arden, who was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame at the Junos Sunday night, joined CTV Morning Live to speak about something some activists call cruel and inhumane.
Canada is one of the world's largest suppliers of horse meat, with thousands of animals exported each year. These horses are shipped out of the country to be slaughtered then served at high-end restaurants around the world.
For Arden, who's been involved with horses for decades, the cause is personal, and one she's been involved in for some time.
"I was very outspoken about the culling of wild horses on the eastern slopes in Alberta, which still goes on because of forestry, because of the petroleum industry. They round up a bunch of horses and they slaughter them," she said in an interview from Calgary Monday morning.
The horsemeat industry was brought to her attention a couple of years ago by her veterinarian, she said.
As Arden tells it, the vet told her large draft horses are being bred in feed lots in Alberta and Manitoba by a handful of farmers. She said this group then flies as many as 90 of the horses per week to a small island in Japan.
"At the very beginning of this stuff, they used to FedEx them," she said.
FedEx said no, after a time, citing ethical reasons, Arden said. Most of the flights are now run through a Korean airline, according to the singer.
Arden describes the process as, "four large horses put into wooden crates - they're crapping all over each other, they are terrified… they often fall on each other. They often arrive dead."
She said the horses are shipped live because their meat is eaten raw as part of a dish called bashimi. She likened the price to Kobe beef.
"It's a terrifying and sinister little part of Canadian agriculture," Arden said.
"I know there's a lot of terrible things going on in the world – I know there is. This is another one of them that we can actually stop… Canadians just have to rise up, sign their name to a petition, and we have a very good chance of ending the live export of horses to Japan."
Arden said she knows people are sick of petitions, but said she believes the petition put forward by the Canadian Horse Defence Coalition has a chance at making a difference.
The CHDC is also pushing for a ban of the consumption of horsemeat in Canada, and previously sued the Canadian Food Inspection Agency over the shipment of live horses for slaughter and consumption. The group lost its lawsuit against the CFIA in 2019.
In this case, the petition to ban the shipment of live horses is sponsored by a member of Parliament, MP Nathaniel Erskine-Smith, meaning with 100,000 signatures, it can be presented in the House.
"That's powerful. It really is," she said.
"Canada has to decide, 'Are we horse people, or are we the biggest supplier of horsemeat on the planet?'"
She said the practice used to be common south of the border, too, but Americans stopped the export because of petitions. Still, she said, the horses are often sent to Canada for slaughter and to be shipped overseas.
She said the fight isn't actually about horsemeat itself – "eat what you want to eat."
"It is really about the humane and fair and ethical treatment of these animals that have carried us, plowed our fields, fought in wars, comforted our children. These animals are used for compassionate means in therapy all the time… and yet some of them do that, and some of them, we just feel like they're garbage."
In addition to Arden's petition, a B.C.-based campaign has a similar goal.
The BC SPCA says Canada is one of the few countries left in the world that ships horses for meat, estimating more than 40,000 animals have been exported in the last eight years. Under recently-updated transport laws, horses can be shipped without feed, water or rest for up to 28 hours.
The society has is also collecting signatures to present to Ottawa.
In her interview Monday, Arden also spoke about being honoured at the Juno Awards, including what her induction into the hall of fame means to her.
"It's certainly an accumulation of time… It's kind of a really cool award to get, because it's not about being 'best of,' or the top song of the year or the greatest singer," she said.
"This is something that feels, actually, really comfortable and really cool and really awesome, because it's just about time. It's about putting in your time, it's about paying your dues, it's about singing in the bars, and that you're still standing at the end of it."
She called it "fantastic" to be in the company of so many of her idols, who've already been recognized.
Watch the full interview above.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NEW From yearning for a change to cost of living, why some Canadians have left or may leave the country
For some immigrants, their dreams of permanently settling in Canada have taken an unexpected twist.
Here are the ultraprocessed foods you most need to avoid, according to a 30-year study
Studies have shown that ultraprocessed foods can have a detrimental impact on health. But 30 years of research show they don’t all have the same impact.
NEW Capital gains tax change 'shortsighted' and 'sows division' business groups tell Freeland
Forging ahead with increasing Canada's capital gains inclusion rate 'sows division,' and is a 'shortsighted' way to improve the deficit, business groups are warning Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland.
Ontario man frustrated after $3,500 paving job leaves driveway in shambles
An Ontario man considering having his driveway paved received a quote from a company for $7,000, but then, another paver in the neighbourhood knocked on his door and offered half that rate.
Defence attacks Stormy Daniels' credibility as she returns to the stand in Trump's hush money trial
Stormy Daniels will return to the witness stand Thursday in Donald Trump's hush money trial as the defence tries to undermine the credibility of the porn actor's salacious testimony about their alleged sexual encounter and the money she was paid to keep quiet.
With contactless screening tech, this Toronto startup hopes to catch breast cancer early — and save lives
Amid evidence of rising breast cancer rates among young women in Canada, one Toronto startup is offering a contactless and radiation-free device that can help doctors identify suspicious changes in breast tissue. The company, Linda Lifetech, says this can lead to earlier detection of breast cancer.
Tornadoes tear through southeastern U.S. as storms leave 3 dead
Forecasters warned a wave of dangerous storms in the U.S. could wash over parts of the South early Thursday, a day after severe weather with damaging tornadoes and large hail killed at least three people in the region.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
What is whooping cough and should Canadians be concerned as Europe declares outbreak?
There is currently a whooping cough epidemic in Europe, with 10 times as many cases compared to the previous two years. While an outbreak has not been declared nationwide in Canada, whooping cough is regularly detected in the country.