Animal Protection Groups Outraged Over Passage of Inadequate Bill

 

Ottawa, February 15, 2008 - Bill S-203 is opposed by the vast majority of Canadians and all Animal Protection groups from across Canada. In a shocking and outrageous decision, the House of Commons Committee on Justice and Human Rights circumvented democracy and voted in favour of Bill S-203 last night. It was a lazy decision to pass such an ineffective bill that maintains the loopholes and inadequacies in the archaic animal cruelty provisions of Canada’s Criminal Code.

"Canadians should be offended and outraged that the government and the official opposition supported a bill that takes 1892 legislation and simply adjusts it for inflation by merely increasing the penalties" said Steve Carroll, CEO of the Canadian Federation of Humane Societies. "This bill will do nothing to improve protection for animals from cruelty and abuse" added Carroll.

Bill S-203 continues to make it nearly impossible to punish crimes of neglect and does not criminalize the breeding and training of animals to fight each other. "The committee was provided with an opportunity to truly protect animals and to act on behalf of the 85% of Canadians who asked them for modernized legislation on this issue," stated Kim Elmslie of the International Fund for Animal Welfare, "but they chose to turn their back on animals and on democracy."

The NDP and the Bloc introduced amendments to try to improve Bill S-203; however, these were all struck down by the Liberal and Conservative Committee members. In the end, the Conservatives, Liberals and Bloc all voted in favour of Bill S-203, ignoring the fact that more than 130,000 Canadians have signed petitions specifically opposing the bill. Thousands more Canadians have written to the government and to their Members of Parliament opposing Bill S-203 and demanding a better animal cruelty law. Only the NDP represented the interests of Canadians and voted against the bill.

Not one animal protection organization in Canada supports Bill S-203. SPCAs and humane societies are on the front lines providing shelter and care for innocent victims of animal abuse. Their inspectors don’t have the right tool to appropriately punish the callous, uncaring perpetrators who inflict so much pain and suffering on animals. Bill S-203 won’t change this.

"What difference does increasing penalties make if offenders cannot be prosecuted?", stated Melissa Tkachyk, Programs Officer for the World Society for the Protection of Animals. "The current legislation has been in place since 1892, it could be another century before animals are protected from heinous acts of cruelty in Canada."

The CFHS, IFAW and WSPA will not stop their fight for long-overdue and reasonable amendments to Canada’s pathetic animal cruelty law. Canadians expect nothing less.

For more information please contact:

Shelagh MacDonald

Program Director

Canadian Federation of Humane Societies

(w) 613-224-8072 ext. 21

(h) 613-521-8402

Cell 613-262-0588

Erica Martin

Communications Manager

International Fund for Animal Welfare

613-241-3982 ext. 221

Cell: 613-859-0589

emartin@ifaw.org

Melissa Tkachyk

Programs Officer

World Society for the Protection of Animals

Office: 416-369-044 ext. 108

Cell: 416-712-3468