Animal Cruelty Legislation

The fight for Bill S-203, an act to end the captivity of whales, dolphins and porpoises (cetaceans) in Canada, has been a challenging one.

Over the past several months, we’ve heard scores of testimony by animal welfare organizations, including testimony from myself on behalf of the Canadian Federation of Humane Societies, marine welfare experts and scientists from around the world, all of whom have strongly condemned the captivity of whales, dolphins, and porpoises, noting that captivity rarely meets their biological, social and behavioural needs and cause them grievous harm.

WATCH: IN COMMITTEE FROM THE SENATE OF CANADA – Fisheries and Oceans – April 11, 2017

http://www.cpac.ca/en/programs/in-committee-from-the-senate-of-canada/episodes/50953718

Note: CFHS testimony begins at 17:10:00

Despite this, critics of Bill S-203 worked diligently two weeks ago to try to halt the approval of this Bill; an action that would have ultimately led to the defeat of Bill S-203.

But, the Canadian public spoke out! We mobilized our members and the public as we led a public campaign encouraging Canadians to write to their Senators, providing suggested content, letting them know that they would not accept the defeat of this Bill and that they would not stand by while the cruel confinement and isolation of cetaceans continued in Canada.

And, thanks to this outpouring of support for Bill S-203, the Senate Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans has reinstated the review of this Bill.

While we won’t know the outcome of this review until the Fall, we do know that thanks to Canadians like you, we are one step closer to ending cetacean captivity in Canada.

We will share Bill S-203 updates with you as they arise and we will continue to represent Canadians at the federal level.