The Right Honorable Justin Trudeau, P.C., M.P.

Prime Minister of Canada

Dear Prime Minister,

Congratulations on winning a second term. I have long been an admirer of your work to promote women's rights, gay rights, and religious freedom. Since my days on Baywatch, I have focused much of my international advocacy work on animal protection and the environment. I recently moved back to Canada, and I have a suggestion that would save Canadian taxpayers money and improve the health of tens of thousands of people: Please switch to serving nutritious vegan meals in correctional facilities.

Other prison systems have seen the benefits of serving inmates meat-free meals. The Maricopa County Jail in Arizona, for example, reported that it reduced costs by $273,000 when it switched to all-vegetarian food for its 8,000 inmates. I traveled to Phoenix to make lunch for inmates in order to promote that policy. Canada has the potential to cut costs even more if we switch to vegan meals for the roughly 40,000 people currently held in correctional facilities. Beans, rice, lentils, pasta, and potatoes and other vegetables as well as fruits supply all the nutrients that anyone needs but at a fraction of the cost of meats and cheeses. There would also be enormous savings on freezer costs and spoilage, since most vegan ingredients can be shipped and stored without refrigeration.

Vegan eating has been proved to reduce the risk of suffering from obesity and cancer significantly and can even reverse heart disease and diabetes, so vegan meals would improve inmates' health and decrease their health-care costs over the long term—a win-win situation. Earlier this year, Health Canada published a new food guide that de-emphasizes the consumption of meat and dairy and recommends instead that Canadians focus on fruit, vegetables, and vegan sources of protein.

A vegan meal plan can help the planet, too, since raising animals for food damages the environment more than just about anything else that we do. According to the United Nations, we must all shift toward a vegan diet to combat the worst effects of climate change. Canada could be a true leader in saving our planet for future generations.

I hope you'll embrace this idea as a simple but effective way to reduce costs and improve lives. My friends at PETA and I would be happy to work with your team to create a low-cost meal plan for your correctional facilities. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Respectfully yours,

Pamela Anderson

Honorary Director

PETA