Please sign this petition to let Canada Goose and Nobis know that fur is not fashion, it’s violence. They need to stop producing fur-trimmed coats and apparel .Informed Canadians want to see these coats that cause and promote untold suffering to coyotes and other animals eliminated. The purpose of this petition is to send a message to retailers that their stores will be boycotted and other products they carry will not be purchased thereby affecting their bottom line.

 Below you will find information and valid reasons why Canada Goose and Nobis products are unacceptable.  A similar petition was successful in convincing Capital Iron in Victoria B.C  to stop selling Canada Goose. Demonstrations were organized and  community support was mobilized with signs and leafleting. Boycotts of the store were instrumental in convincing consumers that these products should not be purchased.

 

Dear Retailer,

We would first off like to recognize Canada Goose’s longevity in business since 1957 and Nobis since 2007 .  As a business their model should adhere to current norms acceptable to people's ethical and moral standards.What may have been acceptable in the past is not  acceptable today. To trap and kill coyottes for vanity purposes is just wrong. To use Coyote fur “because it works” according to the president of Canada Goose is unacceptable and not the only option for your product. Today faux fur is a very viable alternative.

 This is why we write to you today regarding your sale of Canada Goose apparel and accessories.You may or may not be aware of the cruelty and suffering associated with the fur industry in Canada.  As has been documented by the Fur-Bearer Defenders http://furbearerdefenders.com/  and has recently been publicized through their #makefurhistory  campaign, animals are raised in deplorable conditions in cages for their fur and those trapped in the wild, for Canada Goose and Nobis, may languish for days before someone kills them.   It is arguable that the  down vests are equally ethically questionable. Down is obtained in extremely cruel ways. Feathers are floor gathered from chickens raised in unspecificied locations, but we can only assume factory farming conditions to match supply needs. If you’re considering opting for a fur-free coat, please consider making it down-free as well. Instead, we encourage people to look for PrimaLoft in puffy coats. It is a synthetic microfibre insulator that was originally developed for the US Army as a water resistant down alternative. Today, Primaloft is the premier supplier of insulation to the US Army, Marines and Special Forces.

 So what will keep you (and your conscience) warm and cozy?

The alternatives to Canada Goose are endless! Why choose a product that you know involved untold amounts of suffering and violence? Get familiar with these awesome, progressive, fur-free alternatives:Get to know Arc’teryx, Fjällräven, Mountain Equipment Co-Op (MEC), Columbia Sportswear, Patagonia, Helly Hansen, Hoodlamb, Vaute Couture and H&M! You may be surprised how many of the big retailers make a point of not carrying fur in their stores.

 If you take a few minutes to research for yourself the violence, suffering, and cruelty attached to this industry that your business supports by purchasing Canada Goose or Nobis apparel, we are sure you will agree that the treatment of these animals is unacceptable for the price of a coat or one’s personal vanity.

 In 1995, the European Union passed a progressive ban on the use of leg-hold traps in all its member countries, as well as a ban on fur from any country still using leg-hold traps. In response, Canada threatened the EU with economic punishments under GATT and the WTO. Sadly, the EU conceded and exempted Canada from their ban when Canada, the USA and Russia instead proposed “The Agreement on International Humane Trapping Standards” (AIHTS). This agreement was based on the commitment to develop and use only “humane” traps, and with the understanding that the agreement would lead to the eventual banning of the leg-hold trap. Sadly, what it did instead was put an official ‘humane’ seal of approval on business-as-usual and provided the fur industry with a sound bite about their commitment to ‘humaneness’ while changing very little about the actual practices. This exercise in deception exists entirely because the majority of the Canadian and international public are not comfortable with, or supportive of, the trapping of animals.

The standards apply to 12 animals routinely killed for fur (beaver, muskrat, otter, weasel, marten, fisher, raccoon, badger, coyote, wolf, lynx and bobcat). Noticeably missing from the agreement are minks, foxes, and wolverines. Although the steel jaw leg-hold trap is no longer permitted, superficially altered versions of the trap remain the standard. This is contrary to the entire purpose of the agreement, which was to ban the leg-hold trap entirely. As it stands, the same traps that have been used for 40 years are still allowed, including snares, which are considered extremely inhumane even by moderate groups like the Canadian Federation of Humane Societies.

 Canada Goose loves to evoke iconic imagery of research scientists hiking along the unforgiving Arctic tundra. So if Canada Goose makes coats for the “coldest places on earth”, why are they all over Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, and every other city in Canada? And moreover, why has it been described as “the uniform of the inner city aged 16-to-24 year olds” by Randy Harris, president of market research firm Trendex North America?

The truth is that around $50 million of Canada Goose’s annual sales are what CEO Dani Reiss calls “fashion-driven”. Canada Goose products are a fashion trend and warmth is merely a selling feature. Reiss even admits that the badge on the arm of a Canada Goose jacket makes “people feel like they belong to a club”. A Canada Goose jacket is about status. Reiss claims that Canada Goose is the “Swiss watch of apparel”, the “Land Rover of outerwear”. In reality, Canada Goose is much more like a Hummer: excessive, irresponsible, unnecessary, and sooner than many will expect, embarrassing.

 Any kind of fur, including coyote fur, is NOT necessary. Despite what Canada Goose would have you believe, people can and do, climb mountains without fur-trimmed parkas. Lots of competing brands focused on technical performance choose to use synthetic materials (Arc’teryx, Mountain Equipment Coop, Columbia, Patagonia, Fjällräven, etc.). And apart from the hood, Canada Goose jackets are made with synthetic fabrics (polyester, nylon and much of it is treated with durable water repellent (DWR) finish). And most importantly– the vast majority of people do not even live in climates where their skin can freeze in an instant. The majority of the Canadian population lives in large urban cities near the southern border.

Canada Goose couldn’t buy from fur farms even if they wanted to, because there are no coyote fur farms. Coyote fur can only be obtained by shooting or trapping them in leg-hold, Conibear or snare traps. Canada Goose turns their nose up at fur farming, as though trapping has an outcome that is any happier for the animal. Leg hold traps are banned in many countries (including the EU), as well as Florida, Rhode Island, New Jersey and Arizona. The American Veterinary Association, the American Animal Hospital Association, the World Veterinary Association, the National Animal Control Association, the Humane Society of the United States and Canada, the Sierra Club all oppose the leg-hold trap. While leg-hold traps with ‘teeth’ have been banned, all leg-hold traps (including the remaining models) have the same intention: to prevent the escape of an animal who is fighting for his or her life. Many animals die trying to free themselves, as well as from dehydration, blood loss and hypothermia. Some animals become so desperate, they break teeth chewing and/or twisting off their own limbs to escape. Canada Goose buys their fur from auction houses that sell all sorts of fur, including farmed fur.

Despite this anti-fur farm stance, Canada Goose has yet to acknowledge the moral dilemma they undoubtedly face over the surge in knock-off Canada Goose products, replete with farmed fur (in some cases even dog fur). By popularizing the fur trend, it is inevitable that the knock-off markets in Asia would respond by using the cheapest fur available to them: dog and cat fur (which is sadly legal in Canada) and other competitors would use farmed fur (Moose Knuckles uses farmed fox fur).

  With this in mind we are asking retailers to stop the sale of these products and end your relationship with Canada Goose and Nobis apparel. Do consumers  need a fur-trimmed jacket or hood ?  While this is an issue of international concern, it becomes a local concern when local business supports these industries with their purchasing power.  When ethics and consumer interest collide, people must choose to support a business that promotes violence against coyotes and other animals for vanity or choose to shop elsewhere.

While we encourage and support the Canadian business community, we must draw the line when business practices explicitly promote violence or exploitation of other animals without reservation.   That is why we ask all Canadians to stop buying these products to end the suffering of Coyotes. Thank you.

For further information plse view :  http://furbearerdefenders.com/