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Following the success of Tamara Chaney’s petition rejecting Bill S-213 (which gathered nearly 112,000 names and was tabled in Parliament in mid-February), a new petition is now circulating calling for the government to introduce effective amendments to the animal cruelty provisions of the Criminal Code based on Bill C-373.
After many requests from our caring supporters, we’ve made this petition easy to download by clicking on the link below.
Please return signed petition forms to:
Mark Holland
Member of Parliament, Ajax-Pickering
House of Commons
Ottawa, ON K1A 0A6
Published in The Hill Times, February 26th – Third and final ad in the series.
To download the series click here [pdf file: 0.26mb]
The first hour of second reading debate for Bill S-213 – the decoy bill to amend the animal cruelty provision of the Criminal Code, introduced by Senator John Bryden – was Monday, Feb. 26th. (Click here for more details about the amendments to the animal cruelty provisions)
There were only about 15 MPs in the House for the debate and, unfortunately, two of the main Bill S-213 opponents – Mark Holland and Joe Comartin – were stranded in their ridings in southern Ontario due to a snowstorm on Sunday night.
A brief overview of the discussions in the House:
Liberals: Charlie Hubbard, who is the sponsor of the Bill in the House of Commons, gave his speech summarizing the history of the various bills over the past few years, stating that the previous bills “disrespected the rights of those dependent on animals for their livelihood.” Of course he failed to mention that the previous bill was supported by most industry groups and the House of Commons in 2003.The Liberal Justice Critic, Marlene Jennings, has indicated that she would oppose Bill S-213. Unfortunately, she was not in attendance for Monday’s debate.
Conservatives: Rob Moore, Paliamentary Secretary to the Justice Minister stated that the government will support Bill S-213.Bloc Québécois: Réal Ménard, the Justice Critic for the Bloc, spoke in support of S-213 on behalf of his party. However, the Bloc has decided to support S-213 and C-373 so he also presented some good arguments in favour of Bill C-373. He noted that C-373 strikes a balance between protecting animals from cruelty and the right of hunters, fishers and aboriginals to carry out their activities.
NDP: In the absence of Comartin, Dennis Bevington spoke for the NDP against S-213. He is from the Western Arctic region and noted that his constituents include trappers and they have urged him not to support S-213.
The bill will come back for another hour of 2nd reading debate, probably in late March – early April. Check back often for updates.
Click here to view a sample letter. You can use it as is, but personalized letters are more effective.
Send your letter to your Member of Parliament’s Hill office, and cc the Justice Minister at the address below:
The Honourable Rob Nicholson
Minister of Justice
House of Commons
Ottawa, ON K1A 0A6
Not sure how to reach your MP? Visit www.parl.gc.ca to get his or her name and contact information.
Remember, you don’t need a stamp to send a letter to your MP on Parliament Hill!
ACT QUICKLY! Send your letter today!
