Canadian Parliament Serving Seal Meat At Lunch In Support Of Hunters

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TORONTO — The Canadian Parliament's restaurant will serve seal meatthis week in support of hunters battling a European Union ban on sealproducts, a Liberal senator said Monday.

Celine Hervieux-Payette said Wednesday's seal meat lunch menu willallow politicians to demonstrate their backing for the annual hunt.

"Allpolitical parties will have the opportunity to demonstrate to theinternational community the solidarity of the Canadian Parliamentbehind those who earn a living from the seal hunt," she said in astatement.

The EU ban on seal imports was imposed last July on the grounds that Canada's annual hunt was inhumane.

The East Coast seal hunt, the largest in the world, kills an averageof 275,000 harp seals during mid-November to mid-May. The seals areeither shot or hit over the head with a spiked club called a hakapik.

Animal rights groups believe the hunt is cruel, poorly monitored andprovides little economic benefit. Seal hunters and Canadian authoritiessay it is sustainable, humane and provides income for isolatedcommunities.

The EU ban includes processed goods derived from seals, includingtheir skins – which are used to make coats, bags and clothing – as wellas meat, oil blubber, organs and seal oil, which is used in someomega-3 pills.

It exempts products derived from traditional hunts carried out byInuit in Canada's Arctic, as well as those from Greenland, Alaska andRussia.

Canada has requested consultations with the EU at the World TradeOrganization, which is the first step before launching an officialtrade challenge to salvage a Canadian industry valued at $10 millionCanadian dollars ($9.7 million) in exports last year.
 
the cruelty that all animals face that end up as food on our plates or as "coats, bags and clothing" can probably be considered as inhumane or even worse, maybe they should start to focus on that as well rather than pick and choose this, just because seals dont have the same connotation as cows or chickens or pigs 

i'd like for this to change, but if that means altering the way of like of native americans which are already in mostly isolated, deprived areas, than they're going to have to work around that rather then force them to change

my $0.02
 
the cruelty that all animals face that end up as food on our plates or as "coats, bags and clothing" can probably be considered as inhumane or even worse, maybe they should start of focus on that as well rather than pick and choose this, just because seals dont have the same connotation as cows or chickens or pigs
That's certainly a valid point.  Japan, for example, continually justifies its slaughter of whales (including endangered blue whales) and dolphins by playing up the hypocrisy of its accusers.  Over the last few decades, Australia has taken an increasingly strong stance against commercial whaling - yet Australia moved to legalize the consumption of kangaroo meat in 1993.  The US is in absolutely no position to scold any nation for cruelty given our factory farms and seemingly indefatigable demand for low-cost meat.  Anyone who's performed even the most cursory of investigations into our food supply - or anyone possessing so much as an imagination - would acknowledge the cruelty inherent in America's flesh trade.  So, there is certainly an air of hypocrisy in taking what some have referred to as an ethnocentric stance against the slaughter of certain species deemed taboo within our own culture. 

Now, we can take that in two directions: productive and unproductive.  To date, the element of hypocrisy has been leveraged to an almost nihilist bend.  If "everything" is wrong, then nothing is right - so why bother working toward any sort of ethical progress?  You may as well stab a panda cub in the eye.  Flesh is flesh, death is death.  Obviously I'm not of that position.  As a species, we don't need flesh in order to survive, let alone pelts.  To that end, moving toward a ban on seal hunting is justly part of a much wider reaching movement to eliminate brutal, needless cruelty. 

Certainly I could show you some footage of everyday practices from slaughterhouses that would sicken the majority of viewers.  Our culture and the slaughter industry go to great lengths to obscure the process of transforming a living being, a he or a she, into an 'it,' a commodity.  ("It" isn't flesh; it's meat.  "It" isn't skin; it's leather.")  When we take off our blinders, when we examine the production of flesh in other societies, the consumption of species whose brutal deaths we haven't, by and large, trained ourselves to ignore or view as a necessity, the issue appears quite simplistic, its inherent cruelty quite stark. 

From our experience, living in a society in which few of us feel the need or even the desire to feast on the flesh of a harp seal or wear its fur, it is not the cruelty that falls upon deaf ears and blind eyes - but its rationalizations. 

It's difficult for most of us to look at an image like this and excuse it.

hakapik.jpg


The problem, to me, is not that people are outraged over the management of the Canadian Parliament's restaurant to so gratuitously serve seal meat - but that we aren't also outraged by the cruelties supported by our own government.  
 
Originally Posted by PharelFor3

kudos to them

Standing up for the workingman.
Originally Posted by Nako XL


It exempts products derived from traditional hunts carried out byInuit in Canada's Arctic, as well as those from Greenland, Alaska andRussia.
All I needed to read.
 
Originally Posted by Method Man

As a species, we don't need flesh in order to survive, let alone pelts.
Bull, I will put a bullet in my brain pan before I give up meat (pause).  So just stop it.
 
Bull, I will put a bullet in my brain pan before I give up meat (pause).  So just stop it.
Be that as it may, a psychological "want" is different from a biological need. 

It's interesting that many people feel that strongly about the texture of their protein.  Personally, I'd never met a single vegetarian until after I'd gone to college.  Prior to that point, I wrote the food off without so much as tasting it - which, in retrospect, was pretty ignorant on my part.  I assumed it was all veggie burgers, bland fare incapable of fueling anyone athletic or even active.  Nothing could be further from the truth. 

Contemporary mock meats so closely approximate the flavor and texture of beef, chicken, etc. to the extent that many longtime veg*ans actually find it disturbing and prefer not to eat them.  You may want to give it a try.  Who knows?  One of the lives you might save in the process could be your own - especially if resource scarcity and epidemiological concerns force people away from flesh consumption.  Wouldn't want you to commit that for want of a Whopper.
 
Originally Posted by Method Man

Bull, I will put a bullet in my brain pan before I give up meat (pause).  So just stop it.
Be that as it may, a psychological "want" is different from a biological need. 

It's interesting that many people feel that strongly about the texture of their protein.  Personally, I'd never met a single vegetarian until after I'd gone to college.  Prior to that point, I wrote the food off without so much as tasting it - which, in retrospect, was pretty ignorant on my part.  I assumed it was all veggie burgers, bland fare incapable of fueling anyone athletic or even active.  Nothing could be further from the truth. 

Contemporary mock meats so closely approximate the flavor and texture of beef, chicken, etc. to the extent that many longtime veg*ans actually find it disturbing and prefer not to eat them.  You may want to give it a try.  Who knows?  One of the lives you might save in the process could be your own - especially if resource scarcity and epidemiological concerns force people away from flesh consumption.  Wouldn't want you to commit that for want of a Whopper.

You disgust me.
 
Originally Posted by Method Man

Bull, I will put a bullet in my brain pan before I give up meat (pause).  So just stop it.
Be that as it may, a psychological "want" is different from a biological need. 

It's interesting that many people feel that strongly about the texture of their protein.  Personally, I'd never met a single vegetarian until after I'd gone to college.  Prior to that point, I wrote the food off without so much as tasting it - which, in retrospect, was pretty ignorant on my part.  I assumed it was all veggie burgers, bland fare incapable of fueling anyone athletic or even active.  Nothing could be further from the truth. 

Contemporary mock meats so closely approximate the flavor and texture of beef, chicken, etc. to the extent that many longtime veg*ans actually find it disturbing and prefer not to eat them.  You may want to give it a try.  Who knows?  One of the lives you might save in the process could be your own - especially if resource scarcity and epidemiological concerns force people away from flesh consumption.  Wouldn't want you to commit that for want of a Whopper.

No way buddy.....dont get me wrong if its food I will eat it (for the most part), I will try almost anything once, but to say that veggie meat is close to real meat.......thats a stretch at best....

you cant fake a burger or a steak in texture or flavor.....
 
Originally Posted by ninjallamafromhell

Originally Posted by Method Man

Bull, I will put a bullet in my brain pan before I give up meat (pause).  So just stop it.
Be that as it may, a psychological "want" is different from a biological need. 

It's interesting that many people feel that strongly about the texture of their protein.  Personally, I'd never met a single vegetarian until after I'd gone to college.  Prior to that point, I wrote the food off without so much as tasting it - which, in retrospect, was pretty ignorant on my part.  I assumed it was all veggie burgers, bland fare incapable of fueling anyone athletic or even active.  Nothing could be further from the truth. 

Contemporary mock meats so closely approximate the flavor and texture of beef, chicken, etc. to the extent that many longtime veg*ans actually find it disturbing and prefer not to eat them.  You may want to give it a try.  Who knows?  One of the lives you might save in the process could be your own - especially if resource scarcity and epidemiological concerns force people away from flesh consumption.  Wouldn't want you to commit that for want of a Whopper.
You disgust me.


Meth is simply offering an alternative opinion, ever stop to think that your "holier than thou" carnivorous attitude may disgust others? go have another burger with extra ignorance on it
 
Originally Posted by DublBagn

Originally Posted by Method Man

Bull, I will put a bullet in my brain pan before I give up meat (pause).  So just stop it.
Be that as it may, a psychological "want" is different from a biological need. 

It's interesting that many people feel that strongly about the texture of their protein.  Personally, I'd never met a single vegetarian until after I'd gone to college.  Prior to that point, I wrote the food off without so much as tasting it - which, in retrospect, was pretty ignorant on my part.  I assumed it was all veggie burgers, bland fare incapable of fueling anyone athletic or even active.  Nothing could be further from the truth. 

Contemporary mock meats so closely approximate the flavor and texture of beef, chicken, etc. to the extent that many longtime veg*ans actually find it disturbing and prefer not to eat them.  You may want to give it a try.  Who knows?  One of the lives you might save in the process could be your own - especially if resource scarcity and epidemiological concerns force people away from flesh consumption.  Wouldn't want you to commit that for want of a Whopper.
No way buddy.....dont get me wrong if its food I will eat it (for the most part), I will try almost anything once, but to say that veggie meat is close to real meat.......thats a stretch at best....

you cant fake a burger or a steak in texture or flavor.....



the morningstar chicken patties are pretty damn close...theres a method of massaging gluten to get it to that exact texture, many of my meatatarian colleagues would agree
 
Originally Posted by nuggets

Originally Posted by ninjallamafromhell

Originally Posted by Method Man

Bull, I will put a bullet in my brain pan before I give up meat (pause).  So just stop it.
Be that as it may, a psychological "want" is different from a biological need. 

It's interesting that many people feel that strongly about the texture of their protein.  Personally, I'd never met a single vegetarian until after I'd gone to college.  Prior to that point, I wrote the food off without so much as tasting it - which, in retrospect, was pretty ignorant on my part.  I assumed it was all veggie burgers, bland fare incapable of fueling anyone athletic or even active.  Nothing could be further from the truth. 

Contemporary mock meats so closely approximate the flavor and texture of beef, chicken, etc. to the extent that many longtime veg*ans actually find it disturbing and prefer not to eat them.  You may want to give it a try.  Who knows?  One of the lives you might save in the process could be your own - especially if resource scarcity and epidemiological concerns force people away from flesh consumption.  Wouldn't want you to commit that for want of a Whopper.
You disgust me.
Meth is simply offering an alternative opinion, ever stop to think that your "holier than thou" carnivorous attitude may disgust others? go have another burger with extra ignorance on it

Yeah, because your response wasn't up it's own *$# with douchebaggery.
 
Originally Posted by ThrowedInDaGame

What does seal meat taste like? I'm very hungry.

I imagine seal, walrus, and sea lion all taste the same.
I wanna try. Pretty sure that seals are really fatty, and fat equals flavor.. right?
 
You disgust me.
laugh.gif
Would you care to explain why?


You just hit me with the Daffy Duck:



Really? It's like that now?
No way buddy.....dont get me wrong if its food I will eat it (for the most part), I will try almost anything once, but to say that veggie meat is close to real meat.......thats a stretch at best....you cant fake a burger or a steak in texture or flavor.....
What have you tried?

Most people won't go to a relatively high end veg*an restaurant, so their point of reference is likely a boca burger or some other inexpensive soy product. That's what I used to base my judgments on and, obviously, that's not gonna come close to what you're accustomed to. Even if you just stick with what's commercially available, though, I think some of the Gardein line might surprise you. Seitan, too, has a very meat-like texture. The best "cheesesteak" sandwich I've ever had was made with seitan and contained neither cheese nor steak. Like I said, I grew up on that stuff - so I'm not just comparing it to bean sprouts.

People can, and often do, invent arbitrary distinctions to maintain a hierarchy. Some will swear up and down that you've never really had steak unless you've had Kobe beef or some such, that simply nothing else will do. How close, really, do you need to get in order to simply enjoy what you're eating - especially if it's healthier for you?

Keep in mind, too, that there are unpleasant aspects to eating flesh even if you enjoy it. Even if we exclude the health, ethical, and environmental factors, you also never have that unpleasant feeling of biting into gristle, bone, or what have you. Since it's treated as a default, few people ever bother to evaluate it - to see it as a CHOICE. It's empowering.
 
Originally Posted by Method Man

Bull, I will put a bullet in my brain pan before I give up meat (pause).  So just stop it.
Be that as it may, a psychological "want" is different from a biological need. 

It's interesting that many people feel that strongly about the texture of their protein.  Personally, I'd never met a single vegetarian until after I'd gone to college.  Prior to that point, I wrote the food off without so much as tasting it - which, in retrospect, was pretty ignorant on my part.  I assumed it was all veggie burgers, bland fare incapable of fueling anyone athletic or even active.  Nothing could be further from the truth. 

Contemporary mock meats so closely approximate the flavor and texture of beef, chicken, etc. to the extent that many longtime veg*ans actually find it disturbing and prefer not to eat them.  You may want to give it a try.  Who knows?  One of the lives you might save in the process could be your own - especially if resource scarcity and epidemiological concerns force people away from flesh consumption.  Wouldn't want you to commit that for want of a Whopper.


I don't see the point of mock meat.  If someone wants to give up eating meat, I would expect them to want to give the idea of eating anything that resembles meat as well.  It's not necessarily the best analogy, but I equate it to someone swearing off vagina, but getting their rocks off with a synthetic equivalent.
 
Meth what made you become a vegetarian?
From my earliest memories forward I've always been fascinated by other species.  Before I really started getting into sports in 3rd or 4th grade, I loved watching National Geographic specials and reading about sharks, dinosaurs, reptiles, elephants, and so on.  If I saw an earthworm on the asphalt the day after a rainstorm, seemingly helpless and unable to return to the soil, I'd move it back to the nearest patch of grass. 

I ate meat, and it bothered me, but literally everyone else in my life did so and I didn't really feel there was another way - or, at least, another way of being healthy.  Besides, I'd reason, I held no contempt for other meat eating species.  I didn't like it, but such is nature.  When you live in an environment like that, the silent compliance not only enables you to avoid questioning yourself and your actions - but it creates a pressure to maintain the tranquility of ignorance.  If you're a heterosexual male athlete, questioning meat culture is a very quick route toward alienation. 

Since childhood, I've also been extraordinarily passionate about social justice issues, racism in particular.  The further I pursued it, the more I realized just how interconnected systems of dominance and oppression truly are.  You realize how racism interacts with sexism, how exploitation along race/class/gender lines interacts with degradation of the environment, and, yes, how human oppression relates to the cruel inhumane treatment of nonhuman animals. The more I learned, the less I could justify my own complicity in it.  By the time I reached grad school, I'd finally begun to meet people who cared about nonhuman animals - and about social justice issues generally - the way I did.  When you meet a vegan it helps challenge the normative nature of animal consumption.  The experience challenged me.  I realized that I finally had a choice.  I could decide for myself whether to be an omnivore or an herbivore. 

I poured myself into researching veganism from every angle and, shortly thereafter, committed to it myself.  Naturally, it put an end to my sneaker collecting days (I don't even wear them anymore), but I still have the ability to connect, through NikeTalk, through sports, and through my many friendships, with that same culture and engage it in a way that celebrates its virtues without indulging in its vices. 

It's certainly not the easiest thing I've ever done, but I feel it's allowed me to live my values and exist as a truer expression of the person I've always been. 


If anyone has any questions about veganism or just wants to talk about it without dealing with negativity, feel free to send me a PM.  Normally, as most know, I insist on maintaining my right to personal privacy on NT but since deciding to share this aspect of my life online I've had the pleasure of conversing with quite a few of my fellow members about these issues and I've found it tremendously rewarding.
Meth is simply offering an alternative opinion, ever stop tothink that your "holier than thou" carnivorous attitude may disgustothers? go have another burger with extra ignorance on it
I appreciate that you understand what I’m trying to bring tothe table (no pun intended), but being rude will only heighten hostility and breed resistance and retrenchment.  One reason why so many people get defensiveabout this is because they see it as a confrontation, as an attempt to takesomething important away from them.  Fromthe time we’re at our most impressionable, we make associations between foodand care.  Some people even consider hunting a bonding experience.  The point is to honor thevalues but replace the symbols with superior representations.  For example, if my intent through preparing a meal for someone is to demonstrate care and compassion, utilizing the flesh of another living, feeling, caring being is, at least to me, in poor alignment with my original intent.  The intended beneficiary would be better served (again, no pun intended), if I were to use a medium that expresses care, that expresses love, that embodies health, that symbolizes life rather than death.  In other words, it's not about dishonoring or disrespecting all that people hold dear; it's about evolving our practices to more richly express the original intent. 

The ridicule that veg*ans incur is largely inspired by the insecurity it creates among those who feel judged by the sudden and jarring dissonance that veg*anism creates.  It's important to show that veg*anism isn't about putting the baby seal above the human child - but about demonstrating compassion and empathy.  I don't think we can convey those values through hostility.

I don't see the point of mock meat.  If someone wants to give up eating meat, I would expect them to want to give the idea of eating anything that resembles meat as well.  It's not necessarily the best analogy, but I equate it to someone swearing off vagina, but getting their rocks off with a synthetic equivalent.
Kind of an odd metaphor, but I can appreciate that view.  It's for that reason that I would never wear faux fur or even synthetic leather: it still sends the message that those products are fashionable and the closer they approximate the "real thing," the more indistinguishable it becomes, such that you're more or less serving as a walking endorsement for the very products you oppose.  Personally, I've been moving towards a raw foods vegan diet to maximize the health benefits (it's also environmentally friendlier as well), but I can't deny that the mock meat products helped ease my initial transition into veganism.  After I'd thoroughly researched the dietary implications, I went all in and moved from eating animal products as part of virtually every meal to eliminating them from my diet entirely within two weeks.  I don't expect most people to do something like that.  If mock meats can act as a bridge and help us transition away from flesh, so much the better.  I think they have a legitimate place in the market and they're very easy foods for us to share with friends and family.  It packages the vegan lifestyle in a way that's comfortable and nonthreatening.When people realize that they can have virtually everything they enjoyed about meat, dairy, etc. without the aspects they don't enjoy (cruelty, high fat/cholesterol, gristle, etc.), it becomes much easier for them to start adding meatless, dairy-free, egg-free meals or even to abstain from animal products entirely. 
 
Originally Posted by Method Man

Meth what made you become a vegetarian?
From my earliest memories forward I've always been fascinated by other species.  Before I really started getting into sports in 3rd or 4th grade, I loved watching National Geographic specials and reading about sharks, dinosaurs, reptiles, elephants, and so on.  If I saw an earthworm on the asphalt the day after a rainstorm, seemingly helpless and unable to return to the soil, I'd move it back to the nearest patch of grass. 

I ate meat, and it bothered me, but literally everyone else in my life did so and I didn't really feel there was another way - or, at least, another way of being healthy.  Besides, I'd reason, I held no contempt for other meat eating species.  I didn't like it, but such is nature.  When you live in an environment like that, the silent compliance not only enables you to avoid questioning yourself and your actions - but it creates a pressure to maintain the tranquility of ignorance.  If you're a heterosexual male athlete, questioning meat culture is a very quick route toward alienation. 

Since childhood, I've also been extraordinarily passionate about social justice issues, racism in particular.  The further I pursued it, the more I realized just how interconnected systems of dominance and oppression truly are.  You realize how racism interacts with sexism, how exploitation along race/class/gender lines interacts with degradation of the environment, and, yes, how human oppression relates to the cruel inhumane treatment of nonhuman animals. The more I learned, the less I could justify my own complicity in it.  By the time I reached grad school, I'd finally begun to meet people who cared about nonhuman animals - and about social justice issues generally - the way I did.  When you meet a vegan it helps challenge the normative nature of animal consumption.  The experience challenged me.  I realized that I finally had a choice.  I could decide for myself whether to be an omnivore or an herbivore. 

I poured myself into researching veganism from every angle and, shortly thereafter, committed to it myself.  Naturally, it put an end to my sneaker collecting days (I don't even wear them anymore), but I still have the ability to connect, through NikeTalk, through sports, and through my many friendships, with that same culture and engage it in a way that celebrates its virtues without indulging in its vices. 

It's certainly not the easiest thing I've ever done, but I feel it's allowed me to live my values and exist as a truer expression of the person I've always been. 


If anyone has any questions about veganism or just wants to talk about it without dealing with negativity, feel free to send me a PM.  Normally, as most know, I insist on maintaining my right to personal privacy on NT but since deciding to share this aspect of my life online I've had the pleasure of conversing with quite a few of my fellow members about these issues and I've found it tremendously rewarding.
Meth is simply offering an alternative opinion, ever stop tothink that your "holier than thou" carnivorous attitude may disgustothers? go have another burger with extra ignorance on it
I appreciate that you understand what I’m trying to bring tothe table (no pun intended), but being rude will only heighten hostility and breed resistance and retrenchment.  One reason why so many people get defensiveabout this is because they see it as a confrontation, as an attempt to takesomething important away from them.  Fromthe time we’re at our most impressionable, we make associations between foodand care.  Some people even consider hunting a bonding experience.  The point is to honor thevalues but replace the symbols with superior representations.  For example, if my intent through preparing a meal for someone is to demonstrate care and compassion, utilizing the flesh of another living, feeling, caring being is, at least to me, in poor alignment with my original intent.  The intended beneficiary would be better served (again, no pun intended), if I were to use a medium that expresses care, that expresses love, that embodies health, that symbolizes life rather than death.  In other words, it's not about dishonoring or disrespecting all that people hold dear; it's about evolving our practices to more richly express the original intent. 

The ridicule that veg*ans incur is largely inspired by the insecurity it creates among those who feel judged by the sudden and jarring dissonance that veg*anism creates.  It's important to show that veg*anism isn't about putting the baby seal above the human child - but about demonstrating compassion and empathy.  I don't think we can convey those values through hostility.

I don't see the point of mock meat.  If someone wants to give up eating meat, I would expect them to want to give the idea of eating anything that resembles meat as well.  It's not necessarily the best analogy, but I equate it to someone swearing off vagina, but getting their rocks off with a synthetic equivalent.
Kind of an odd metaphor, but I can appreciate that view.  It's for that reason that I would never wear faux fur or even synthetic leather: it still sends the message that those products are fashionable and the closer they approximate the "real thing," the more indistinguishable it becomes, such that you're more or less serving as a walking endorsement for the very products you oppose.  Personally, I've been moving towards a raw foods vegan diet to maximize the health benefits (it's also environmentally friendlier as well), but I can't deny that the mock meat products helped ease my initial transition into veganism.  After I'd thoroughly researched the dietary implications, I went all in and moved from eating animal products as part of virtually every meal to eliminating them from my diet entirely within two weeks.  I don't expect most people to do something like that.  If mock meats can act as a bridge and help us transition away from flesh, so much the better.  I think they have a legitimate place in the market and they're very easy foods for us to share with friends and family.  It packages the vegan lifestyle in a way that's comfortable and nonthreatening.When people realize that they can have virtually everything they enjoyed about meat, dairy, etc. without the aspects they don't enjoy (cruelty, high fat/cholesterol, gristle, etc.), it becomes much easier for them to start adding meatless, dairy-free, egg-free meals or even to abstain from animal products entirely. 
It's all making sense now. Although I like your posts, Social Justice does not, and I repeat, does not correlate to a Vegan's lifestyle or choices. 

But, I am interested in learning more about the vegetarian lifestyle. Any books?
 
BUT PLANTS ARE LIVING THINGS TOO! WE SHOULD ALL EAT SAND.
That's about as facetious as it gets.  Plants don't feel pain or possess a central nervous system.  Biologically, there's no survival advantage to it.  Plants are stationary, after all.  They don't possess the necessary sensory apparatuses to detect, much less avoid, potential threats.  There's a distinction between sentient and non-sentient life, which would be foolish to overlook. 

Let's not kid ourselves here.  It's pretty much self-evident that pigs, cows, and chickens generally want to live.

It's all making sense now. Although I like your posts, Social Justice does not, and I repeat, does not correlate to a Vegan's lifestyle or choices.

Why not?  Even if we ignore the conceptual links, the similarities between how humans have attempted to establish a biological point of distinction between themselves and "lower" varieties of people ("naturalizing" gender and race differences through arbitrary, misapplied taxonomy), the assertion of "might makes right" in constructing and maintaining generalized hierarchies and their concordant systems of advantage and disadvantage, the fact remains that the lifestyle itself is, if nothing else, consonant with Social Justice values.  Veganism, at its most basic level, is an expression of empathy and compassion. 

I don't think it's a coincidence that someone like Mohandas Gandhi was a vegetarian.  Even the fate of silkworms troubled him deeply. Gandhi believed that, “The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can bejudged by the way its animals are treated."

Alice Walker once wrote, “As we talked of freedom and justice one day for all, we sat down to steaks. I am eating misery, I thought, as I took the first bite. And spit it out.
 
A lot of hypocrisy in our society. It's ok to recreationaly hunt certain animals but you cant hurt others.

BTW, the Canadian government is currently Conservative (i.e. more business friendly).
 
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