Sample Letter

Ralph Goodale, Minister of Public Safety: [email protected]

Mail (postage-free): House of Commons, Ottawa, Canada K1A 0A6

Dear Minister Goodale,

The Evolve model of plant-based farming and sanctuary as prisoner-animal therapy unites a wide range of government priorities concerning effective rehabilitation & reintegration; sustainable agriculture; dietary health & food security; and cost effectiveness.    

The dairy model being implemented at Joyceville Institution is the wrong decision.

How do you justify claiming that the exploitation and slaughter of animals is “therapeutic” despite overwhelming evidence that objectifying animals leads to general diminishment of empathy and a greater propensity to engage in violence? Basing rehabilitation on an exploitative model of human use of animals is inherently contradictory, whereas developing a sanctuary model allows for genuinely humane and therapeutic human-animal relationships.

I strongly encourage you to reconsider the political calculus and make a decision about the prison farms based on evidence and sound public policy. A modest pivot towards plant-based farms and sanctuary is the right decision, and would gain widespread public support.