A contentious export: The anatomy of Canada's horsemeat industry
CBC
Confined in wooden crates, 99 horses were loaded into an airplane's cargo hold at the Edmonton International Airport last month.
Like thousands of others before them, the animals were bound for Japan where their meat, served raw, is considered a delicacy.
Horse welfare advocates are hoping the shipment will be one of the last.
"When horses for slaughter are shipped, they are crammed into these crates," said Sinikka Crosland, president of the Canadian Horse Defence Coalition.
"It's a horrific journey."
Live exports are banned in the United States and Britain, and horse advocates who condemn the slaughter have long called on Canada to follow suit. As Ottawa mulls a proposed a ban on live exports for slaughter, horse activists and industry advocates are clashing over whether a ban is justified and the potential consequences.
Canada is among the leading exporters of horsemeat in the world. Thousands of horses — raised solely for slaughter — are shipped out of the country each year. It's a lucrative but controversial multimillion-dollar business that is now facing an uncertain future.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, in a December 2021 mandate letter to Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau, vowed to end exports of live horses for slaughter.
The Prime Minister's Office is supporting a private member's bill tabled by Liberal MP Tim Louis in September calling on the government to make good on that promise. Lawrence MacAulay, who took over from Bibeau as Canada's agriculture minister this summer, has said he takes the issue, and animal welfare, seriously.
The bill calls for a prohibition on the export of horses for slaughter, with fines of up to $250,000 or a two-year jail term for people found guilty of participating in the trade.
Domestic slaughter would be untouched by the proposed legislation.
Horsemeat, described as soft and sweet, is considered taboo to many North American palates but it's no stranger to Canadian kitchens.
Especially popular in Quebec, the meat is stocked in grocery stores and butcher shops and can be found on the menus of high-end restaurants across the country.
The vast majority of consumer demand, however, can be found overseas with live exports accounting for the bulk of the Canadian industry.
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