With the prorogation (suspension) of Parliament on January 6, the BC SPCA wants British Columbians to be aware of several proposed pieces of animal welfare legislation which were under consideration in the House of Commons and the Senate that have been paused or lost entirely – despite the incredible advocacy seen from the public on these important matters.
“Unfortunately, all proposed legislation introduced by the Liberal government was terminated by prorogation,” says Sarah Herring, the BC SPCA’s government relations officer. “This includes several important proposed animal welfare Bills that we and other animal welfare groups have been working tirelessly to get passed.”
The government Bills that have been terminated include Bill S-15, which proposed to end the breeding, import, export and captivity of elephants and great apes in Canada.
Proposed legislation introduced by Members of Parliament (MPs) who are not part of Cabinet, also known as Private Members’ Bills, have been paused by prorogation. This includes:
- Bill C-355, which proposes to end the live export of horses by air for slaughter overseas,
- Bill C-332, which proposes to include violence and threats of violence against pets as a form of coercive control in intimate partner violence, and
- Bill C-247, which proposes to prohibit fur farming.
Herring adds that if Parliament returns to usual business on March 24, it is possible that these Private Members’ Bills can continue from the point they had reached before prorogation. However, if Parliament dissolves and a federal election is called, all progress on these important animal welfare Bills will also be lost and the BC SPCA, along with other animal welfare organizations, will need to begin the process all over again when a new government is elected.
“The prospect of having to go back to the starting line for this work is disheartening,” says Herring “The BC SPCA is committed to continuing to advocate for animals in B.C. and across Canada, but we need the continued support and perseverance of animal lovers to do that.”
People can take action for animals while Parliament is prorogued by:
- Signing e-petition 5269 before January 27 to call for an end to fur farming in Canada. Federal e-petitions remain active during prorogation and can be presented at the start of a new Parliamentary session.
- Joining the BC SPCA’s call for the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada to ban the live export of horses by air through a regulation, rather than new legislation. Regulations can still be passed during prorogation, so Minister MacAulay could achieve the government’s 2021 promise to end live horse export.
If Parliament is dissolved and an election is called, people can take action by:
- Voting with animals in mind. The BC SPCA and our partners at Humane Canada will be asking for our next government to commit to improving animal welfare over the next four years, and they need to know these issues matter to their voters! Stay tuned for more information if/when an election is called.
- Signing up for Action Alerts to learn about the BC SPCA’s advocacy campaigns and how to take action to influence decision-makers. The BC SPCA will continue to work with the new federal government to make critical progress on animal welfare in Canada.
“It may feel frustrating to sign multiple petitions or send letter after letter to your MP or Senator, but Canadians must keep pressuring the federal government to improve animal welfare,” says Herring. “It took over a decade of consistent advocacy to achieve a ban on cosmetic testing, but that change improves the lives of millions of animals each year.”
Over the past five years, the BC SPCA has made significant progress at the federal level, in partnership with Humane Canada and other SPCAs and Humane Societies, and with the support of caring British Columbians with these wins:
- Banning the capture, confinement and captive breeding of whales, dolphins and porpoises
- Broadening the scope of Criminal Code offences to prohibit activities related to bestiality and animal fighting
- Eliminating the trade in shark fins imported into Canada
- Prohibiting the use of strychnine for predator control
- Banning cosmetic testing on animals and starting to phase out toxicity testing on animals
- Further limiting the transport of elephant ivory and rhinoceros horn across Canadian borders