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Does it take Tory pork to process pork?

A federal loan to a Quebec pork processor has the Canadian Taxpayers Federation accusing the Conservatives of vote buying, and animal rights group, PETA, demanding an end to taxpayer-funded cruelty.

Matthew Johnston - August 21, 2008

While corporate welfare may be cruel to taxpayers, Ashley Byrne with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is also concerned with the moral implications of asking Canadians to subsidies the meat industry. “It’s not fair to ask any taxpayer to support the sort of violence that goes on behind the scenes in the meat industry. Before they end up wrapped in cellophane, chickens and turkeys have their throats slit while still conscious and are scalded alive, pigs have their teeth, tails and testicles cut off without painkillers and cows are often skinned alive. This isn’t the type of thing Canadians think should be rewarded with government money,” said Byrne.

It is unlikely that most Canadians oppose the meat industry, but it is fair to conclude that vegetarians would object to their hard earned dollars being used to support a pork processing facility. You do not have to be sympathetic to the goals of PETA to respect the right of animal rights advocates to abstain from supporting an industry they regard as immoral.

It is also clear that when opposition to a policy comes from organizations as culturally different as the Canadian Taxpayers Federation and PETA, it’s time to rethink the value to Canadians of these corporate welfare schemes.

So does it really take pork to process pork? You can join this discussion already in progress on the Shotgun blog here.

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