[TL;DR: Let's send a strong message to the Government of Canada that there is overwhelming support from poutine enthusiasts across the globe to make poutine Canada's official national dish!]

Hear ye, hear ye!

An official e-petition to the Government of Canada is underway, asking them to make poutine the official national dish of Canada after it being the "unofficial" national dish for far too long.

However, the official e-petition can only be signed by Canadian citizens or permanent residents, and we know there are many more poutine enthusiasts across the world who love poutine, and support it becoming Canada's national dish! Hence this unofficial petition on Change.org to allow you to lend your voice to our Poutine Petition Project!

So add your voice today to encourage the Canadian government to make this happen. Your signature and comments matter, and will also be presented to the Government of Canada with the official e-petition when it closes on July 4th, 2024.

The full text of the official e-petition follows below, so you can know what it is that you're endorsing, and supporting by signing this Change.org petition.

"We the undersigned citizens and residents of all countries other than Canada who also self-identify as poutine enthusiasts and/or lovers of poutine, encourage the Government of Canada to take action on e-petition e-4816 and make poutine Canada's official national dish, without delay!"

Text of the e-4816 petition:

[English]

"Petition to the House of Commons in Parliament assembled

Whereas:

• Poutine can be found in restaurants of all sizes and genres from coast-to-coast-to-coast within Canada;
• No matter what gender, ethnic origin, creed, geographic region, community, culture, linguistic community, political party or ideology Canadians identify with, there are lovers of poutine in their midst;
• Poutine can serve as a vehicle to bridge differences between us and unite Canadians in conversation over a dish we can generally agree is delicious;
• Maple syrup is not a dish (but is an ingredient that can be used in gravy, or a topping in some other variations of poutine that have come to exist over the past 7 decades);
• Poutine was served at the March 10, 2016, state dinner when the U.S. president hosted Canada's Prime Minister for the first time in 19 years;
  Poutine is a quintessential Canadian comfort food that has even been integrated into large U.S. chain restaurant locations in Canada, or other U.S.-based businesses such as wholesale retailers that also serve hot food; and
• There are numerous annual poutine festivals and events that serve to bring Canadians of all backgrounds together with one another.

We, the undersigned, citizens and residents of Canada who also self-identify as poutine enthusiasts and/or lovers of poutine, call upon the House of Commons in Parliament assembled to ensure, through an Act of Parliament, that the dish commonly known as poutine is hereby recognized and declared to be the national dish of Canada while simultaneously honouring its origins in the Province of Québec."

[French]

"Pétition à la Chambre des communes réunie en Parlement

Attendu que:

• Des restaurants de toutes tailles et de tous genres, d'un océan à l’autre du Canada, servent de la poutine;
• On trouve des amateurs de poutine parmi les Canadiens de tous les genres, origines ethniques, confessions, régions, communautés, cultures, appartenances linguistiques, partis politiques et idéologies;
• La poutine peut servir à jeter des ponts entre les gens et unir les Canadiens dans une conversation autour d’un plat dont nous pouvons généralement convenir qu’il est délicieux;
• Le sirop d’érable n’est pas un plat (mais c'est un ingrédient qui peut être utilisé dans la sauce, ou une garniture dans certaines autres variations de la poutine qui ont vu le jour dans les 7 dernières décennies);
• La poutine a été servie lors du dîner d'État du 10 mars 2016, lorsque le président des États-Unis a accueilli le premier ministre du Canada pour la première fois en 19 ans;
• La poutine est un plat réconfortant typiquement canadien qui est même offert par de grandes chaînes américaines de restaurants au Canada et par d’autres entreprises basées aux États-Unis, comme des détaillants de gros qui servent aussi des aliments chauds;
• De nombreux festivals et événements annuels mettant en vedette la poutine permettent à des Canadiens de toutes origines de se rassembler.

Nous soussignés, citoyens et résidents du Canada qui sommes également amateurs de poutine, prions la Chambre des communes réunie en Parlement de s’assurer, par une loi du Parlement, que le plat communément appelé poutine est reconnu et déclaré plat national du Canada, tout en honorant ses origines dans la province de Québec."

Thank you so much for your support! If you'd like to track with us on this project, please follow along at the official Poutine Petition Project website.

Photo Credit: @amanderson2 used under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0.