Wildlife Conservation Canada Project #9826

Animal Cruelty Legislation

by Humane Canada

Project Report | Mar 19, 2025
Your March 2025 Animal Cruelty Legislation Update

By Melissa Devlin | Manager, Annual Donor Relations & Engagement

Thank you for your incredible continuing support of Humane Canada. We are happy to share these updates with you since our last report.

Bill Introduced to regulate zoos and protect captive wildlife in Ontario

A new bill was announced in Ontario on December 4^th, The Captive Wildlife Protection Act, addresses Ontario’s lack of regulation over captive wildlife which has led to the proliferation of cruel and dangerous roadside zoos. These unregulated facilities often house wild animals in poor conditions, risking both animal welfare and public safety. Ontario currently has the highest number of such facilities in Canada and is the weakest regulatory jurisdiction in this area with no mandatory licensing or consistent standards for the keeping of wild animals.

The proposed bill would mandate licensing for zoos, requiring proof of financial resources and emergency preparedness plans, with annual inspections to ensure high standards of care. It also prohibits the use of animals for entertainment that compromises their welfare, such as petting sessions, performances, and photo opportunities. The bill aims to bring Ontario's regulations in line with other provinces to better protect animal welfare and public safety.

In other news, as you know on January 6^thPrime Minister Justin Trudeau announced his resignation, and the Governor General has granted his request to prorogue Parliament. Here is what prorogation means for the bills that Humane Canada, its members and other animal welfare partners have been working on over the past Parliamentary session:

Bill S-15 that would have banned the captivity of elephants and great apes, which was amended again by the Standing Senate Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs to remove the Noah Clause and passed third reading in the Senate in December, died at the end of the session and must be introduced as a new bill in the new session of Parliament.
Bill C-63, the Online Harms Act, which had been split to separate the child sexual exploitation measures in the hope that it would pass quickly, has also died. It was in pre-study with the House of Commons Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights. Humane Canada had submitted a brief published December 11th asking that the bill be amended to include animal sexual abuse and torture videos and images, as well as any other materials that depict harming or killing animals.
For Private Members Bills, the process is somewhat different. According to procedure after prorogation, “the Standing Orders of the House of Commons contain specific provisions that automatically reinstate Private Members’ Bills (PMBs) at the same stage the bill was at in the Commons before the prorogation”. Therefore, in theory, those bills that had passed the House of Commons and reached various stages in the Senate, such as C-332 on coercive control and live horse export bill C-355 along with farm biosecurity bill C-275, would be eligible to continue for as long as the government avoids dissolution.

We are hopeful that some of these bills will be able to pass quickly through the remaining stages and onto Royal Assent before there is a call for election.

Finally, we are incredibly proud to share that our CEO, Barbara Cartwright, was awarded the Coronation Medal in the Senate of Canada by the inspiring Senator Yvonne Boyer.

For over 25 years, Barbara has been a driving force in the charitable sector, committed to building a more humane world through her leadership. Her work in policy development, stakeholder engagement, and strategic planning has led to groundbreaking initiatives and significant legislative reforms. This recognition is a testament to Barbara’s unwavering dedication and the collective efforts of our amazing team, members, supporters, and partners.

Links:

http://www.humanecanada.ca

Permalink

Nov 19, 2024
November 2024 Animal Cruelty Legislation Update

By Melissa Devlin | Manager, Annual Donor Relations & Engagement

Hello,

Thanks to the dedicated support of Canadians like you, we achieved a major milestone last year when the Canadian government passed legislation to phase out toxic chemical testing on animals. This legislation is a commitment to end animal suffering in toxicity tests by 2035, moving Canada toward a future rooted in humane science. But for this goal to become a reality, ongoing support from the government is essential. Officials are crafting a critical plan to phase out animal testing, and public feedback was needed.

We asked our supporters to make their voice heard and urge government leaders to fund the Canadian Centre for Alternatives to Animal Methods (CCAAM) / Canadian Centre for the Validation of Alternatives to Animal Methods (CaCVAM) by November 13^th. Without public funding, this centre faces the possibility of permanent closure, threatening the progress made toward cruelty-free testing methods. CCAAM has yet to receive public support, even though it remains Canada’s sole institution dedicated to validating humane testing methods.

That’s why we asked Canadians to speak up and show their support to establish a sold foundation for lasting change and a future free from animal suffering. We will continue to keep you updated on this matter.

In other news, we still need your voice to push Bill C-355 through the Senate, where it has stalled at second reading since May. This bill would ban the live export of horses by air for slaughter—a critical step to prevent further harm, following recent data from the Japanese government revealing severe welfare issues and fatalities in transported horses.

In collaboration with our members, including BC SPCA, Montreal SPCA, Vancouver Humane Society, and Winnipeg Humane Society, we’ve launched a coordinated campaign to amplify the issue. Thousands of Canadians have been writing to Senators, urging them to move this vital bill forward.

Our recent Pet-Inclusive Housing petition has recently closed, signed by 19,579 of you to tell our government that this issue matters to Canadians. Pet-inclusive housing reduces stress and loneliness for tenants, lowers turnover rates for landlords, and enhances social connections in communities. Our member SPCAs & Humane Societies report that the lack of pet-inclusive housing is a leading cause of animals being surrendered to shelters. We will continue to advocate for more affordable housing that welcomes pets and keep you informed on our progress.

Thank you for being a valued supporter of Humane Canada, we thank you for dedication and compassion for animals as we continue to work for positive, progressive change in our country.

Links:

Permalink

Jul 29, 2024
Coercive Control Bill C-332 passed in the House of Commons

By Melissa Devlin | Manager, Annual Donor Relations & Engagement

Hello,

Thank you for your continued support of our Animal Cruelty Legislation project. We are happy to share some ongoing developments as we work to improve protections for animals in our country.

Coercive Control Bill C-332 has passed in the House of Commons. It's third reading received an unanimous vote to pass in the House of Commons on Wednesday, June 12th. This bill, which now includes animals, passed with an amendment that further defined what constitutes coercive and controlling behaviour. Pattern of conduct is defined as “any combination, or any repeated instances” of any of three types of conduct:

Violence including attempted and threatened violence toward the intimate partner, the intimate partner's child, their animal, or anyone known to them.
Coercing or attempting to coerce the intimate partner to engage in sexual activity and
Conduct that could in all the circumstances reasonably be expected to cause the intimate partner to believe their physical or psychological safety is threatened.

Moving quickly, the bill underwent first reading in the Senate on June 13th, we will continue to update you on the progress in the Senate.

In other news, Ontario’s Preventing Unethical Puppy Sales Act (PUPS Act) received royal assent! This Bill will prohibit the operation of puppy mills in Ontario and make it illegal to:

Breed a female dog who is less than 12 months old, or breed before her second heat
Breed a parent dog with any dog in one of their litters or breed siblings from the same parent
Separate a puppy from their mother or substitute mother before the age of 56 days

Humane Canada celebrates the passage of this bill and will continue to advocate for the end of puppy mills, both in Ontario and nationwide.

Finally, we are pleased to share more good news with you! Bill C-355, The Prohibition of Export of Horses by Air for Slaughter Act, passed its third reading in the House of Commons on May 9th. This is another step forward in banning the inhumane practice, as the bill has now moved forward to be considered by the Senate and has completed it's first reading. Bill S-270, whose intent was to address the same issue, has now been dropped so that all efforts to implement the ban can be consolidated.

Since 2013, more than 40,000 horses have been exported from Canada to Japan for human consumption. Over 2,000 of these horses have been flown to their death since September 2021, despite the Prime Minister issuing a mandate calling on the federal Minister of Agriculture to ban this practice in December 2021.

Your support matters and we thank you for your generous donation to Humane Canada as we work for positive, progressive change for animals in our country.

Links:

Permalink

‹ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 ... 20 ›

About Project Reports

Project reports on GlobalGiving are posted directly to globalgiving.org by Project Leaders as they are completed, generally every 3-4 months. To protect the integrity of these documents, GlobalGiving does not alter them; therefore you may find some language or formatting issues.

If you donate to this project or have donated to this project, you can receive an email when this project posts a report. You can also subscribe for reports without donating.