One of Carleton’s newest clubs has entered the fall semester with plans to promote animal rights and form a community around plant-based lifestyles.
Animal Rights Carleton hosts open conversations about animal rights and plant-based lifestyles and aims to highlight the increased interest in their cause.
Catherine McDonald*, a fourth-year sociology student, is the club’s founder and co-president. While open to leading activist efforts, she said her intent is for the club to be a social space.
“I just want people to feel like there’s a space to hang out with people who are similar [in] thinking to them,” she said.
McDonald transferred to Carleton from Trent University in the fall semester of 2022, where she was the president of the Trent vegan society.
“I transferred to Carleton, and I know that there are vegan options around, but I didn’t really know any other people who are vegan or vegetarian or live similarly to me,” McDonald said.
She officially created the club in March 2023 to connect with people who have a similar lifestyle on the Carleton campus.
The club’s first event was a visit to Penny Lane Sanctuary on Oct. 14 where club members had the opportunity to meet the sanctuary animals, talk with the sanctuary’s volunteers and eat local vegan food.
Andrew Fitzel, a third-year cognitive science student and co-president of the club, said he expects this event to be the first of many for the club.
“Early December, [the sanctuary is] planning to do another open house and we’d like to go as a club and see if we can get more people coming out,” he said.
As founder, McDonald said she hopes to host more events such as screening an animal rights documentary, volunteering at sanctuaries and selling crafts or baked goods from local vegan bakeries.
Fitzel said the club has also considered hosting outings to vegan restaurants and establishing tasting booths for vegan foods.
McDonald said the club is looking to collaborate with the University of Ottawa’s animal rights association, which was created in 2017.
Mariko Brunet, a fifth-year biomedical science student at the uOttawa and co-president of the uOttawa animal rights association, said animal rights are especially important in Ottawa.
“It’s the capital, so you see a lot more political activity here,” Brunet said. “People are more inclined to vote and become involved politically in Ottawa than any other Canadian city … People are more inclined to hear the sides, listen to different issues.”
Fitzel added animal rights are important in a university setting.
“We want [students] to learn and educate themselves about it and make their own decisions from there,” he said.
Clubs from both universities emphasized being vegan or vegetarian is not a requirement for joining.
“It’s really important to have a club, a social gathering, any sort of system to get students interested or at least trying to learn, to experience a more plant-based lifestyle. It doesn’t have to be a full commitment right away,” Fitzel said.
McDonald said Carleton’s decision to introduce plant-forward restaurant Twisted Beet in the Nideyinàn Food Court is a sign more people are making plant-based choices on campus.
“It’s just amazing to see that there is demand for that and I think there are more people who are interested in eating vegan,” McDonald said, adding she hopes Carleton will realize the increasing demand for plant-based options.
After discovering the mistreatment of animals in the agriculture industry, Joy McLeod, a second-year PhD candidate in psychology, went vegan and is now joining Carleton’s club.
McLeod wants anyone interested in joining the club to know it’s an accepting environment.
“It can be a really big change in quality of life, just having like-minded people around you,” she said.
*Catherine McDonald has contributed to the Charlatan.
Featured image by Andrew Fitzel.
