Shoppers and passers-by might have done a double take Nov. 28 if they noticed a human-sized white and orange goose outside Portage Place.
Animal rights group PETA – People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals – demonstrated outside the downtown mall calling out winter-wear company Canada Goose.
Emily Lavender, a campaigner for PETA, hoped that their presence on Portage Avenue was cause for the company to re-consider their material choices and for shoppers to re-think their buying choices.
“There is cruelty in every stitch of a Canada Goose jacket,” Lavender said. “We’re asking the company to stop using fur and down in their jackets and asking consumers to stop buying Canada Goose products”.
PETA released a video last month condemning Canada Goose for treatment of animals by their Manitoba suppliers.
READ MORE: Video shows brutal treatment of animals at Canada Goose supplier
Lavender said there are so many alternative materials that don’t hurt animals and insulate better, urging people to buy cruelty-free jackets instead of Canada Goose ones.
Well-known PETA spokesperson Pamela Anderson weighed in on the subject of winter coats with a tweet denouncing the use of animal fur.