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Cruelty to Animals Bill
Click here for information on pdf files. |
Criminal Code of Canada - Cruelty to Animals Bill Section 446 of the federal Criminal Code prohibits anyone from wilfully causing animals to suffer from neglect, pain, or injury. The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals or police officers investigate complaints of noncompliance.
Click on the links below to view the Bill
Chronolocial updates on Canada's Criminal Code - Cruelty to Animals Bill Apr 10, 2008 The House of Commons passed the cruelty to animals’ bill.
Feb 15, 2008 Animal Protection Groups Outraged Over Passage of Inadequate Bill 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 ... more Feb 12, 2008 Universities back new animal cruelty bill After years of fighting federal bills to toughen animal cruelty laws, academia is, according to this story, putting its support behind a version that universities say would not pose a threat to legitimate animal research ... more Update 'archaic' animal protection laws, critics demand Canada's existing animal cruelty laws are "shameful, inadequate and archaic," a coalition of animal care workers charged Monday ... more Jan 08 Hearings on Bill S-203 Animal Cruelty Bill Two hearings have taken place on this bill which increases penalties for animal abuse without adding any new legal code. It moves penalties to more sensible levels rather than the levels in the original (late 1800s) legislation. On the “against” side are the animal welfare and rights groups that want to go farther. They feel that this bill doesn’t go far enough and that if it gets passed the more extensive (and untested in the courts) C-373 will fall by the wayside. Unedited Hearing minutes (1), Unedited Hearing minutes (2) Feb 25/07 Two Liberals in dogfight over animal cruelty laws Feb. 25 2007, Canadian Press, OTTAWA ... Two Liberal colleagues are in a dog fight over two different bills aimed at cracking down on animal cruelty. Senator John Bryden and MP Mark Holland ... more Feb 22/07 Veterinarians lobby for tough animal cruelty bill The Calgary Herald ... The Canadian Veterinary Medical Association was cited as saying Wednesday it plans to lobby the federal government to shoot down Bill S-213 in favour of private member's Bill C-373 -- the proposed legislation favoured by 111,000 people who signed a petition started in Didsbury and delivered to the House of Commons this week. Dr. Warren Skippon, a vet and manager of animal welfare and national issues for the association, was quoted as saying, "The CVMA considers (Bill S-213) to be flawed legislation that dates back to 1892. We consider it archaic." The groups believe the earlier bill, which returns to the House on Monday for first reading, has several major flaws, including animals still being considered property. Feb/07 The Bill is scheduled for first reading in the House of Commons on Feb 26, 2007. Some industry groups have encouraged their contacts to voice opposition to Bill S-213, and support Bill C-373 and the stated position of the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association. Jan/07 Sir James Dunn Animal Welfare Centre, AWC News ... This bill, now called C-373, is the same as the previous legislation, Bill C-50, which died when the Liberal government fell in January 2006. C-373 is different from the Senate bill, S-213. On December 4 in Ottawa, together with CVMA President Dr. Paul Boutet, I had the privilege of making a submission to the Standing Senate Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs during its hearings on S-213. Our presentation expressed concerns about serious flaws in S-213, and support for the amendments embodied in C-373. On December 7, Bill S-213 passed third reading in the Senate, and will now go to the House of Commons. - Alice Cook Oct/06 Liberal MP Mark Holland today introduced as a private member’s bill legislation identical to the former C-50, a bill that died on the Order Paper when the January federal election was called ... more - click here to view Bill C-373 Oct/06 Calgary Sun's Licia Corbella & MP Myron Thompson comment on federal cruelty bill. Aug/06 Update on Federal Animal Cruelty Bill The most recent version of the previous Liberal government’s proposed legislation to amend the animal cruelty provisions of the Criminal Code, Bill C-50, was introduced in the House of Commons on May 16, 2005. It was identical to its predecessor, C-22, except that C-50 had the addition of a non-derogation clause to address Aboriginal concerns that had been raised in the Senate. Bill C-50 died when the federal election was called in the fall of 2005. Senator John Bryden introduced a private member’s bill in late April 2006. This is identical to Bill S-24, which Senator Bryden tabled in February 2005. It contains the exact wording of the current Criminal Code legislation, enacted in 1892, but with provisions for increased penalties, as in the previous Parliament’s Bill C-50. For these reasons, some organizations that supported Bill C-50, including the Canadian Federation of Humane Societies and Canadian Veterinary Medical Association, are not supporting Bill S-213, and are instead calling for the re-introduction of C-50. Jun/06 Bill S-213, (a new version of Bill S-24) with amendments to the Criminal Code was reintroduced in the Canadian Senate on April 26, 2006. The second reading of the Bill and associated debate occurred on May 2nd. May/06 Hon. Senator John Bryden moved second reading of Bill S-213, to amend the Criminal Code (Cruelty to Animals). Click here to read about the debate. Nov 24/05 - Latest animal cruelty bill likely doomed again Western Producer ... The Liberal government last week introduced its fifth version of updated cruelty-to-animals legislation for debate in the House of Commons. But it, like four earlier versions introduced since 1999, will likely die next week without being enacted when the government falls or an election is called... <more> Nov 16/05 - Shame on animal industry groups CFHS ... By all accounts, it appears that the current session of Parliament is about to die. Along with it will go Bill C-50, the government’s amendments to the animal cruelty sections of the Criminal Code. As stated in House debate earlier in the week by Paul Macklin, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice, “ This legislation has a long and notorious history in Parliament.” ... <more> Nov/05 - Timeline: How a bill became a 6-year political football Markholland.ca ... It’s taken nearly six years since the federal government first introduced revisions to the Criminal Code dealing with animal cruelty. Click here for a condensed legislative timeline of why it’s taken so long. Jun 1/05 - Fifth intro for cruelty bill Western Producer ... Maybe the fifth time will be the charm for government attempts to update cruelty-to-animal legislation for the first time since 1892. Justice minister Irwin Cotler has become the latest ... <more> May 16/05 - Minister Cotler says Bill to Protect Animals reflects views of Canadians Department of Justice Canada ... Irwin Cotler, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, today introduced legislation in the House of Commons which modernizes and strengthens Canada's animal cruelty laws. "Canadians want legislation to protect against cruelty and contempt for animal well-being and they expect the criminal justice system to treat such behaviour seriously," said Minister Cotler ... <more> Oct/04 The animal cruelty amendments to the Criminal Code, most recently named Bill C-22, were passed by the House of Commons, May 2004, with support of farmers, researchers, veterinarians and other animal use groups. The Senate turned it down due to one Senator seeking specific reference to Aboriginal hunting and trapping. The Bill died due to prorogation, it will be reintroduced, starting from scratch, before Christmas. May/04 - Animal Cruelty Bill on Hold The Leader-Post ... Bob Friesen, president of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture, says that farm groups put in extensive work on the bill to toughen Canada's animal-cruelty laws to ensure it would provide protection for both animals and the livestock producers who work with them. Farm groups lobbied hard for changes to the wording so that farmers would not be vulnerable. Friesen said, "We did get some amendments to the original form of the bill, so we thought we could endorse it in its current form. The problem is, if it falls off the table and we start from scratch again, it's going to be a long time before we get it to where we are now?" Nov 14/03 - Animal welfare bill dies in Senate Western Producer ... The latest attempt by the federal government to update 111-year-old cruelty-to-animals legislation ended last week when the Senate refused to bring the legislation to a vote. The bill is dead. The majority voted to send the bill for a third time to a Senate committee for study. Nov 12/03 - Death of Bill C-10B largely unlamented Western Producer ... Controversial Bill C-10B, an act to amend cruelty to animals legislation under the Criminal Code, is dead. It was a casualty in a game of chicken between the House of Commons and the Senate and it will not be greatly mourned by farmers and ranchers. Last week the bill was sent to a Senate committee and is not expected to emerge from those recesses in time for Parliament to deal with it before adjournment. <more> Jun/03 Western Producer ... Parliaments attempt to modernize cruelty-to-animal laws has hit another roadblock as the Senate and the House of Commons continue their long-running stalemate over details of the bill. On June 19 before adjourning for the summer, the Senate sent back to the Commons an amended version of the bill that MPs had already rejected. <more> May 21/03 - THE STANDING SENATE COMMITTEE ON LEGAL & CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS Clause by Clause Review of Bill C-10B May 5/03 - Government may blink on animal cruelty bill Vancouver Sun ... The Liberal government has signaled it will accept amendments to animal cruelty legislation following allegations the bill will criminalize Canadians who boil lobsters or fish with live bait. Liberal Senator Mobina Jaffer said ... <more> Mar/03 - Study of Bill C-10B wraps up in the Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee Since last December, the Senators of this Committee have heard from dozens of organizations or individuals who supported the bill, or who expressed major concerns with the new legislation. Farming and hunting groups, associations representing Aboriginal, Jewish and Islamic Canadians, and defense lawyers have been among the most outspoken opponents to the bill as it stands. Much of the debate surrounds the legal question of available defenses against charges for animal cruelty offenses; the rights of Aboriginal Canadians; and the definition of “animal” as it appears in the new Bill. Nov 28/02 In a rare step on November 21, the Senate Standing Committee on Legal & Constitutional Affairs decided to divide Bill C-10 into 2 separate pieces of legislation:
The Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee has been meeting to address Bill C-10, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (cruelty to animals). Click on the following links to view the Proceeding of the Standing Senate Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs (pdf* files) - presenters noted: 2003
2002
THERE ARE MANY VARYING POSITIONS REGARDING BILL C-10B. For example:
October 2002 Bill C-15B was re-introduced into Parliament by Justice Minister Martin Cauchon on October 10, 2002 and is now called Bill C-10. It was scheduled for 1st Reading in the Senate October 11. The bill will be referred to the Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs some time during the week of October 21. March 2001 Click here Briefing Notes to Members of Parliament
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