Canada Goose’s decision to remove natural fur from its products by 2022 has been met by “deep disappointment” from Rankin Inlet North-Chesterfield Inlet MLA Cathy Towtongie.
“In (the company’s) announcement, they claim: ‘This is significant step forward toward building a more humane and sustainable world.’ I cannot disagree with this more. It is messaging like this that harms the Indigenous harvesting industry. Hunting and trapping provides our community with the materials to keep us warm, and provides us with healthy and nutritious foods that are not always accessible in our stores, all of you hunters out there,” Towtongie said in the legislative assembly on Sept. 14. “When a large corporation has a large platform and their marketing takes advantage of Inuit and the North, I believe they have a responsibility to promote and help protect the Indigenous ways of life. I believe they have the responsibility to teach their consumers the importance of harvesting for Inuit and why we will continue to use furs.”
Up until this announcement, Canada Goose and Inuit worked well together, collaborating on a number of projects and the company gave away materials in Nunavut communities, according to Towtongie.
But now, she and other Inuit are upset to see a “large Canadian company turn its back on us.”
“We know how this will impact our local economy. Until recently, Canada Goose supported the sustainable and culturally appropriate use of fur. I ask that Canada Goose consider how their announcement and I especially believe our minister of Environment should say that messaging will affect the Indigenous harvesting industry,” Towtongie said to a round of applause from her colleagues in the House.
Expressing “deep disappointment” constitutes being “slammed”?
Bob from wherever, i will just add more slamming. Wen I turned 4 yrs old, feds slammed us by shooting our dogs and replaced them with skidoos, woohoos whatever, that have already killed many of our Inuit, right to this day. Now thats disappointing, wouldn’t you think so? I personally think no one should criticize our ways of defending our rights and privilege, any which way how we do it! After years of living off the land, the world tries to shrink that window of our life! Removing the fur industry off our home shelf have no help whatsoever, but destroy our opportunities to save our economy which begins from home. Seems more like your slamming our leaders’ words, so here I am supporting Mrs. Towtoongie who is standing for us Inuit.