Canada Goose Jacket Coyote Fur

The following claims were taken directly from Canada Goose’s ‘fur policy‘ as it appeared February 3, 2012. An updated version of this article (published March, 2015) is available by clicking here.

Canada Goose is a Canadian outdoor clothing company who uses real coyote fur as trim on the hoods of their parkas. Despite the fact that the majority of Canadians abhor the use of fur, Canada Goose actually celebrates the trapping and killing of wildlife for unnecessary, decorative fur trim.

In an effort to sway the public, Canada Goose has a “fur policy." Unfortunately the statements made in this “policy” are not intended to inform the discussion on fur, but rather misinform the public with the sole purpose of carrying on with ‘business as usual’. Most Canadians already know that the fur trade is inherently violent, and that fur products derived from this violence are also inherently frivolous. However, in an effort to combat the slick PR messaging employed by Canada Goose, we have taken the liberty of deconstructing their “fur policy” point by point.

CLAIM: “Activist groups often portray old-fashioned steel-toothed leg-hold traps, but these are now only found in museums. Modern foothold traps can restrain animals with little or no injuries.”

The infamous leg-hold trap is STILL legal in every province and territory across Canada and remains the most widely used, despite being 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 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. (Photo, left: coyote in "certified humane" padded leg hold trap, Abbotsford BC 2013).