Le projet de loi S-203 retardé...

[Animal 0]

Ottawa waffles on animal cruelty bill
Vote delayed on legislation that would give punishments more teethMATTHEW JAY, Canwest News Service

Published: 5 hours ago (5 avril 2008)

The House of Commons moved to delay a vote on contentious new animal cruelty legislation yesterday after a week that saw two provincial governments make significant strides on the issue.
Bill S-203, a private member's bill that originated in the Senate, would increase jail time and fines for animal cruelty offenders, but avoids making changes that would broaden the scope of the law. A vote on the bill was deferred to Wednesday.

In the House, passing an amendment by the NDP led to a deferred vote on S-203. The NDP supports a separate private member's bill, C-373, which goes beyond S-203 and updates the language of the law enacted in 1892. Critics claim under the current law only one per cent of cases lead to conviction.

Paul Dewar, NDP MP for Ottawa Centre, said Canadians should not settle for half-measures when it comes to animal cruelty laws.
"This issue has been languishing since the 1800s. It puts Canada at the bottom of the list in terms of progress on animal welfare globally," Dewar said. "If we adopt
S-203, it says 'aRating 2 , you know, it's as good as we could get'."
Supporters of S-203, proposed by Liberal Senator John Bryden, countered that agreeing to stiffer penalties today doesn't mean the language of the law can't be addressed tomorrow.

"I hope that the House, as a whole, would agree that we need to have changes in animal cruelty legislation," said Liberal MP Paul Szabo. "This bill should in fact be the catalyst to get the government to propose (further) legislation."

Szabo said the process for a private member's bill doesn't provide enough time to properly debate a piece of extensive legislation like C-373 and called on the Conservative government to introduce a comprehensive animal cruelty bill. Five previous reform attempts on the current law have failed since 1999.

This week, B.C. and Ontario announced significant changes to their own animal cruelty laws.
B.C. made amendments Monday to its Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, which will see first-time offenders receive up to six months in jail and a $5,000 fine, and six months and a $10,000 fine for a repeat offender. The amendments also provide a refined definition of an animal being distressed, and broader authority to enforce the law.

"We've put some real teeth behind these amendments and I think people are going to think twice before they start behaving inappropriately toward animals," said Pat Bell, B.C. minister of agriculture and lands, on Wednesday.

In Ontario, new inspection powers, a broader range of offences and increased penalties were included in a bill introduced Thursday. The bill proposes a maximum fine of $60,000, as well as potential lifetime bans on animal ownership.

"If passed, this legislation would offer the strongest animal protection in Canada," said Rick Bartolucci, Ontario minister of community safety and correctional services, Thursday.
Provincial animal cruelty laws come into play when incidents don't meet criteria to be pursued under the Criminal Code.