Jann Arden petitions Ottawa to ban live horse exports for slaughter

More than 36,000 people have signed a petition calling on the federal Liberals to live up to their election promise to ban the live export of horses for slaughter.

More than 36,000 people have signed a petition calling on the federal Liberals to live up to their election promise to ban the live export of horses for slaughter.

Statistics Canada data shows since the promise was made in 2021 more than 2,000 horses have been shipped from Canada to Japan where raw horse meat is a local delicacy.

Canadian singer Jann Arden initiated the petition because she believes the shipping of horses overseas is a cruel practice that has to end.

"It's a disgusting operation and it's just about money, money, money," Arden said in an interview with The Canadian Press.

Horses are put into cramped wooden crates and are sometimes left on the tarmac for hours before the flight takes off where they are clearly stressed and make hideous sounds, said Arden, who has witnessed them being loaded up at the Calgary airport.

Arden said for her it's not about telling people what they should and shouldn't eat.

"It's the treatment of animals," she said.