There are so many solid reasons to become vegetarian – eating lower on the food chain to solve the spectre of mass starvation (Frances Moore Lappé’s reason in Diet for a Small Planet), health reasons in avoiding animal products (well-explained by my friend and Green Deputy leader Georges Laraque who is ahead of me and fully vegan), concern for the greenhouse gases emitted in meat production and concern for animal rights.
My own reasons seem childish in retrospect, but on the other hand, I was a child when, 48 years ago, I decided to stop eating meat.
I grew up on a wonderful 7-acre property, with wetland and forest and space for a hobby farm. We had ponies and a donkey and chickens, and then sheep.
I was eight years old when I had pet lambs. Without even thinking about it, I realized I could no longer eat lamb. I can remember feeling guilty patting a cow’s velvety nose and realizing I was still happy to eat burgers.
The decision to stop eating any meat or poultry was immediate and prompted by going, at age 10, with my mother and little brother to see “Bambi.” After the movie, I sat in the car, still parked in the parking lot, crying about Bambi’s mother being shot. I was so angry at hunters, but my mother reminded me that my aunt and uncle were hunters. “Besides,” she said, “you cannot criticize hunters as long as you eat what they shot.”
That was that. I decided to never eat meat again. Sometimes I think it was a sign of my future career as a lawyer – not wanting to lose an argument on a technicality.
As a child, I was the only person I knew who was vegetarian. It led to being tormented in school and having events with nothing available for lunch. I was excited to find that George Bernard Shaw was a vegetarian and even more thrilled when I read in TV Guide that Tina louise, who played Ginger on “Gilligan’s Island” didn’t eat meat. It is glorious living in a society where being a vegetarian is considered normal!
Elizabeth May I am your fan ! Why not go vegan ? Eggs, fish, honey, dairy are no less than meat.
Yes, when she is ready, Elizabeth May will go vegan.
p.s. it will not alienate your electoral base or potential Elizabeth. But no rush, and no judgement, the fact you are vegetarian is already awesome.
Great things take time, like our future electoral victories 🙂 🙂
Marc-André Séguin, age 25, vegan for 7 years.
Hi, Elizabeth!
If animal rights are a concern of yours, then you should really consider going vegan. The dairy and egg industries are worse for animals than the meat industry. Not only that, but the animals whose eggs and milk you consume end up becoming meat as well. There are so many reasons to become vegan, and it would be very admirable if you were vegan. Please try.
Yes I agree and that is exactly true! Being a vegetarian is not enough if you really care about Animals and don’t want to contribute to their suffering! Veganism is the only way to prevent all harm to Animals!
I exchanged a series of emails with senior people in the federal Green Party a few weeks ago. I was trying to make the case that the Green Party promotion local and organic as its themes for agricultural and food policy–that it was and is vitally important for fighting climate change and for all sorts of other environmental reasons (as well as health reasons and cruelty-to-animals reasons) that governments cut subsidies to animal agriculture and start to openly support going vegetarian and vegan as an option for Canadians.
It’s great that Elizabeth May does this as an individual, but there is absolutely nothing along these lines in Green Party policy–and very clearly the party has no plans to change direction on this matter in their 2019 campaign platform. The party that does find the courage to make such a change will tap into a huge reservoir of goodwill from the ever-growing number of vegans (and vegetarians). But, sad to say, I don’t think Elizabeth May and the Greens will be the party to find that sort of courage any time soon. Perhaps vegetarian Jagmeet Singh and the New Democrats?
PS On climate change, this study deserves to be more widely known:
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/may/31/avoiding-meat-and-dairy-is-single-biggest-way-to-reduce-your-impact-on-earth
thanks for researching this, as I was just about to start! Elizabeth May, I’d like to hear a statement about veganism, animal agriculture subsidies, local farming and how individuals can help greenhouse emissions by choosing healthy, whole food, vegan options while the government created policies to work on fossil fuel emissions.
your story on becoming vegetarian is nice, but we need some concrete statements that take a harder line in this arena.
thank you.
Elizabeth; you’re already a hero of mine but if you go vegan you’ll be a hero to so many more!
It is a good idea to promote local food production, backyard gardening, and preservation of agricultural land as a policy.
So happy to hear you don’t eat animals. Go vegan, and I’m Green.
I sure wish that promotion of plant based eating as a way to cut down on greenhouse gas emissions was promoted in this election, The emissions come from far more than the oil and gas sector. Furthermore, the industrial animal farming practises are atrocious and should not take place in this day and age.
Please bring this issue to the forefront of your agenda! Plant based eating, as others have said, is not only good for the environment but saves innocent animals and is the best choice for our health: this would save millions if not billions of health dollars!
I support the Green Party vastly over the other parties however, I am greatly disappointed that nothing was said in their campaign about veganism. My husband and I have been vegan for over 6 years and while initially changing our lives for the ethics of the treatment of animals, have learned so much about how animal agriculture and it’s “products” affects climate change and health, including emotional and mental health. I am very surprised that the Green Party is not being vocal about a platform for whole food plant based living and the benefits in all aspects of life. Furthermore, I believe that, like your story Elizabeth, you and your party must be entirely vegan in order to not be called out on “technically” not being totally Green because you participate in one of the globe’s most major climate change (and ethical) problems that is also the easiest to change. Changing what goes on your plate, ending the use and collection of leather, wool, feathers and silk and educating people on how healthy, emotionally and mentally satisfying, and how beneficial for the Earth whole plant plant foods and products are is monumentally easier than getting everyone access to electric cars and other non-fossil fuel transportation and energy forms.
Vegans are many and growing in number. Earn their FULL support by doing the easiest thing and get you and your party vegan. For compassion, for health and for the Earth; all things the Green Party stands for.
I agree with many fellow vegans commenting on here. I support most of the positions on the Green Parties platform, but I am extremely disappointed to see no mention of veganism as a way forward for combating climate change, pollution, and the extinction of so many vulnerable species. I was also very troubled to see the Green Party expressing concern that the Canadian Food Guide did not encourage Canadian’s to consume dairy products, and that the environmental Green Party was planning animal welfare measures, and discontinuing plastic fish nets, instead of abolishing these destructive, polluting, and cruel industries. Suggesting Canadian’s should consume dairy, and other animal products seems to be a costly and dangerous position for the our future generations, and the for the planet, especially when there are plenty of healthy, affordable, compassionate, greener, plant based alternatives to meat ones calcium, protein, and other nutritional needs. This is a huge flaw in an otherwise progressive and bold platform. I feel Elisabeth May and any the other members the Green Party, and their supporters as well as anyone that considers themselves environmentalist in general, who don’t eat plant based, are being hypocrites.