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Tuesday, April 30, 2002
Ottawa – The Canadian Federation of Humane Societies is outraged at Murray Calder's suggestion that Bill C-15B be watered down to open the door for animal users to inflict deliberate cruelty on animals. Mr. Calder, Chair of the National Liberal Rural Caucus, publicly asked Justice Minister Martin Cauchon yesterday to make further amendments to the proposed animal cruelty legislation that is currently stalled in Third Reading.“We are shocked that Liberal Members of Parliament are now standing in the way of increased animal protection in this country,” stated Mr. Bob Van Tongerloo, CFHS Executive Director. “They have obviously been hypnotized by the Alliance Party's misinformed paranoia about what this Bill does and doesn't do,” he continued.
Currently, it is a crime to wilfully or recklessly cause unnecessary pain, suffering or injury to an animal. The term 'unnecessary' already requires proof that the animal was not being used for a lawful purpose. It is also a crime to kill or poison animals without a lawful excuse. These provisions remain unchanged in Bill C-15B.
Mr. Calder is asking the Minister to insert the words 'without lawful excuse' into the entire section on intentional killing or harming animals. These words must exist to clarify crimes of killing or poisoning animals; if they do not, people operating slaughterhouses or pest control companies could be found guilty. However, it is completely inappropriate to include these words for the remaining clauses. What lawful excuse could there possibly be for causing an animal unnecessary pain and suffering?
The Alliance Party has led the charge, continually making blatantly misleading statements about the Bill. Murray Calder and his supporters are now buying into this paranoia and threatening to support the Alliance's amendment to send the Bill back to committee. No doubt they are thrilled about the Liberal support.
Bill C-15B makes long-awaited and needed changes to the way our laws deal with animal cruelty. It is not radical and does NOT affect traditional animal use industries. The layers of protection for legitimate animal users remain unchanged. In opposing this Bill, a minority of farmers, hunters and other groups are seeking a licence to inflict deliberate cruelty on animals.
“The changes that Mr. Calder is suggesting would set us back more than 100 years and give us weaker laws than what we have today,” stated an exasperated Mr. Van Tongerloo.
For more information, please contact:
Tanya O’Callaghan, Communications Coordinator
T: (613) 224-8072
tanyao@cfhs.ca
or
Shelagh MacDonald, Program Director
T: (613) 224-8072
shelaghm@cfhs.ca
