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Ralph Nader's new book uses animal fables to teach us about ourselves

Ralph Nader’s new book Animal Envy: A Fable highlights animal intelligence while exploring the human condition through another species.
Ralph Nader in Studio q (Olivia Pasquarelli)

Inspired by seeing the squirrels jump effortlessly from tree to tree, Ralph Nader says it was about time to give animals a voice. "I've never seen a squirrel miss," explains Nader, "think of the physics involved!"

Nader's latest book Animal Envy: A Fable highlights the intelligence of animals while exploring the human condition. Animal fables "teach us a lot about ourselves because it gets us out of our skin," in the same way anthropology removes us from our cultures to study them from new perspectives Nader points out.

Ralph Nader's latest book Animal Envy: A Fable (Seven Stories Press)

But on the days that follow the polarizing US Presidential election, Nader says "we're in for tough times and Canada has a very important role." He urges Canada to revert back to peacekeeping as Trump is appointing "warmongers" to the justice department and CIA.  Nader says, "Stop waiting to see what the US is going to do Canada."  We should be asking ourselves "what is Canada going to do for the US?"