Jann Arden Busks for the Horses

We’ve been covering the ongoing fight in Canada to end live horse export for slaughter on our website, including the work done by the Canadian Horse Defence Coalition. And one of the movement’s biggest and most famous supporters is singer, writer and actor Jann Arden, whose battle to stop the abuse took her to the streets of Vancouver recently where she busked for donations on the steps of the Vancouver Art Gallery, at the shipyards in North Vancouver, and at pop-up sets around the city. Afterwards, Arden took to Twitter to post that she raised $400.

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Where does the issue stand today? Despite Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pledging in 2021 to ban the export of live horses for slaughter, there has been no progress. Instead, according to the Horseshit website, by the end of March 2023, “the 36,175 Canadian citizens who had signed a petition towards this motion were contacted via email and told this issue has been tabled. That’s government speak for quietly being swept under the rug. Bibeau cites a lengthy list of circumstances she must first consider before the welfare of the horses including ‘the impacts on producers’ livelihoods.’”

It is this type of political stagnation that riles the likes of Arden, who is so devoted to ending this cruel horse transport that she has created a campaign aptly named “Horseshit,” with a website and Instagram @horseshitcanada. The campaign seeks to raise awareness and also give Canadian horse lovers multiple ways to help end the trade. For starters, you can book a cameo with Jann (yes, really!) on the Cameo app, with 100% of the proceeds benefiting animal welfare. You can donate, purchase exclusive Horseshit merch, sign a petition, and contact your Member of Parliament. Starting this month there will even be a series of limited edition Jann Arden jigsaw puzzles released to raise funds.

To learn more about this pressing issue, go to the Canadian Horse Defence Coalition (CHDC) website.