Happy Canadian Thanksgiving! There’s a lot to be thankful for. While it may be easier to sometimes focus on all the tragedies that unfolded this year, it’s important to remember that there have been many small environmental, vegan, and animal-related wins to balance everything out.
Keep reading to discover four inspiring reasons we are thankful on Canada’s Thanksgiving this year!
By the way, are you hosting a huge family get-together for the holidays? Then be sure to check out this article that gives you a step-by-step guide on how to be the host with the most (vegan style, of course) this Thanksgiving!
Canada leads FridaysforFuture
FridaysforFuture is a weekly protest that encourages young and old to come together to demand change that will positively impact our planet. Thousands of people gather with signage encouraging our leaders to stand up on our behalf, listen to the planet, and act accordingly. With Greta Thunberg’s recent rise to popularity, it’s no wonder that these peaceful strikes have taken off the past few weeks – and one city that showed up the rest of the world right before Canada’s Thanksgiving was Montreal!
Thunberg led nearly 500,000 people at a recent Montreal climate rally. Half a million children and adults came together, and even Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau joined the climate strike! Afterward, the Prime Minister met with Thunberg and promised to plant two billion trees.
FridaysforFuture began last year with Thunberg alone, and we are so thankful that in such a short time, we got to see this young activist lead the biggest event in the world with the help of Montreal!
Canadian millennials are jumping on the vegan bandwagon
Millennials everywhere are taking to a plant-based lifestyle. There are certainly more vegan teenagers and 20-somethings now than ever before, and this is especially true in Canada. A surprising and delightfully shocking 95 percent of Canadians are familiar with plant-based meat products, according to an Angus Reid poll, but only 39 percent have actually ever tried it. With that being said, the majority of our taste testers range between the ages of 18-34, proving millennials and Gen Z are getting behind and supporting the power of plants. We hope Gen Alpha follows suit!
If you also want to jump on the vegan bandwagon, be sure to check out Wholesome Culture’s Cookbook! This is the best book of recipes to get you started on your new, plant-based lifestyle.
The Canada Food Guide became a lot more plant-based
Whether consumers like it or not, there may not be a whole lot of meat around in the near future. In fact, it is estimated that by the year 2040, all ‘meat’ will come from non-animal sources. While some people are throwing their hands up and praying to the omnivore heavens that this doesn’t happen, one group of people who will be less affected by this phasing out of meat are Canadians. The Canada Food Guide, which many consumers abide by, highlights the nutritional benefits of items in lieu of animal products, including:
- Nuts
- Beans
- Legumes
- Tofu
- Pulses
In addition, Canadian restaurants have more vegan-friendly items for plant-based diners to choose from. Even grocery stores have more faux meat products now than ever before. We are thankful that more vegan options are more readily available every day, and we can’t wait to see what the future holds for plant-based diners in Canada!
Canada has big goals for 2050
Climate change has been one of the biggest topics in Canada’s most recent general elections. Politicians are making some big promises, which we sincerely hope they will keep if elected. For example, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that the country would pledge to attain net-zero carbon dioxide emissions by 2050. We are thankful that climate change has been a huge topic and hope that the conversation to clean up Mother Earth continues!
Did you love this article about why we are thankful on Canada’s Thanksgiving? Do you want even more information about the holiday season and the best way to celebrate it…vegan-style? Then check out these articles we rounded up for your reading (and dining) pleasure!
