Please help stop animal cruelty in Canada by supporting effective animal cruelty legislation - Bill C-373!

Please join over 150,000 supporters who have recently signed petitions, wrote letters and rallied across Canada asking the Gov't to Support Bill C-373 (An Act to Amend the Criminal Code: Cruelty to Animals) to Stop Animal Cruelty in Canada with effective legislation!

Also supported by every animal welfare group in Canada inc CVMA, CFHS, IFAW, SPCA, WSPA, Protective services, etc!

UPDATE!! On Wed Apr 9, the Govt passed ineffective S-203! (The Bill we all oppose)
We really need your help to show them we're not settling for this placebo bill! Please cont to write letters, email, call your MP, sign petitions, write letters to editors, etc!

Many MP's indicated they would support S-203 now and C-373 when it comes up in Nov, we really need to keep the pressure on so they don't let this issue slide and make it appear as though they accomplished something when in fact, S-203 changes virtually nothing except the fines that were increased (same as C-373).
Animal abusers will continue to go unpunished because the vague and archaic wording remains the same and is full of loop-holes.

Bill S-203 is a sham, promoted by politicians to placate the Canadian public while avoiding meaningful change. Its only new provision is an increase in the maximum penalties judges can impose. This will not help the animals because it’s nearly impossible to prosecute animal cruelty in Canada – less than one percent of animal abuse complaints lead to convictions. What good are stronger penalties when we can’t get convictions?

Why Bill S-203 (formerly S-213) is not good enough:
• it only covers animals that are “property”; therefore, “unowned” animals, such as strays and wildlife will not be protected. Animal cruelty provisions should protect all animals not just “those kept for a lawful purpose”
• it does not include a clear and concise definition of “animal”
• it does not criminalize individuals who train or organize animals to fight other animals or those who bet on animal fights
• it does not make it an offence to kill an animal with brutal and/or vicious intent, whether or not the animal dies immediately
• it makes it virtually impossible to prosecute cases of neglect because it's antiquated 116 yr old wording remains

The danger of Bill S-203 is that it could create an illusion that strong action has been taken, when it has not. ANIMAL ABUSE AND CRUELTY WILL CONTINUE TO GO UNPUNISHED!

THERE IS A BETTER WAY: BILL C-373, a private member’s Bill, would increase penalties for animal cruelty offences and effectively close the loopholes in the Criminal Code that make it difficult for enforcement agencies and the courts to convict animal abusers. Despite unfounded paranoia fueled by uninformed MP's and misguided people, C-373 protects against prosecution and allows for all regular hunting, fishing, farming, ranching, industry practices to continue!

Please see Amendments at a glance here and compare Bill differences!
http://ontariospca.ca/press_releases/2006/images/CFHS_backgrounder.pdf

More great info can be found at CFHS!
http://cfhs.ca/law/federal_legislation/
http://cfhs.ca/law/commonly_asked_questions_regarding_animal_cruelty_amendments/
http://cfhs.ca/law/what_can_you_do/
http://cfhs.ca/law/canadians_have_spoken/
http://cfhs.ca/news/animal_protection_groups_dismayed_over_passage_of_loophole_ridden_bill

MP Mark Holland's link w/ Bill info
http://markholland.ca/index.html
http://markholland.ca/news/2008/080409_s203%20passes.htm
Mark speaks in the House against S-203, Mar 10
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnKmECGxnSs

Excellent C-373 Info at IFAW, be sure to check links on left side of page!
http://www.ifaw.org/ifaw/general/default.aspx?oid=208178
IFAW's report on how far Canada is "falling behind"!
http://www.ifaw.org/ifaw/general/default.aspx?oid=225657

WSPA
http://e-activist.com/ea-campaign/clientcampaign.do?ea.client.id=23&ea.campaign.id=256

"Hansard" link to read latest S-203 debate, Apr 4/08
http://www2.parl.gc.ca/HousePublications/Publication.aspx?Language=E&Mode=1&Parl=39&Ses=2&DocId=3389917#OOB-2398568

Queen Waldorf Petition
http://queenwaldorf.org/

NEW WEBSITE! Joint website from CFHS, IFAW and WSPA! Please go there for info on how MP's voted, links for letters! Check it out!
http://www.dontbecruel.org/

Please help protect animals in Canada from neglect and abuse by taking a moment to call your MP and have your voices heard! Please help spread the word and pass this page on!

More Info on Homepage MSN group Stop Animal Cruelty with Bill C-373! Join us here for the latest news, media stories and discussion! Thanx for supporting effective animal cruelty legislation in Canada! http://groups.msn.com/StopAnimalCrueltyBillC373
Also have a Facebook group http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2559701041 or cause here http://apps.facebook.com/causes/view_cause/8495?h=pln&recruiter_id=2216305

 

 

Ineffective S-203 passed on Wed Apr 9th!! We need your support with calls, letters, emails and petition sig's to MP's to help get effective animal cruelty legislation C-373 in place after more than 116 yrs of useless laws!

What can you do to help:

Write a letter (postage free to the House of Commons), email or call your MP!
Link to find your MP's mail, email and ph #:
http://canada.gc.ca/directories/direct_e.html
Or go to Joint site from CFHS, IFAW and WSPA to see how your MP voted and more sample letters!
http://www.dontbecruel.org/

Sample letter (please personalize and put in your own words to have more impact!):

Dear (MP),

A number of your constituents have signed a petition to stop the Senate Bill S-203 dealing with animal cruelty as it lacks the teeth to effectively prosecute abusers, and yet the Government ignored our wishes and passed it on Apr 9th. The NDP introduced two amendments to delete the bill, but they were not succesful.

In fact, this bill was opposed by more than 150,000 Canadian citizens from across the country who signed a petition in support of a private member's Bill C-373. A rash of high-profile animal abuse cases over the past year shocked us by the savagery of these offences.

Bill S-203 was opposed by every major animal welfare organization in Canada including our veterinarians and humane societies. It makes absolutely no sense to pass a bill that is opposed by our frontline workers, S-203 is simply not good enough, we need effective legislation like C-373 in place to reflect the values of Candians.

The CFHS, CVMA and IFAW, have been actively fighting for several years to update Canada's animal cruelty laws that haven't substantially changed since 1892. They are strong proponents for legislation like Bill C-373 that not only increases penalties for animal cruelty offences, but closes the loopholes in the Criminal Code that make it difficult for enforcement agencies and the courts to convict animal abusers.

Under past laws, conviction rates of animal cruelty complaints were only one quarter of 1% due to the antiquated wording of our 116- year- old legislation. Bill S-203 does nothing to change these statistics - it merely adjusts the fines for inflation.

I have provided this link to Pet-Abuse.com for you to review some current high-profile cases. This site also indicates the low conviction rates of these cases.

http://www.pet-abuse.com/pages/home.php

This federal government has made dealing with violent crime a cornerstone of their mandate and yet continues to ignore the documentation linking acts of animal cruelty and violent crimes against humans, particularly women and children. In my mind, animal cruelty, particularly premeditated mutilation where tools were used such as flammable agents, weapons, rope, duct tape etc., are serious in nature and should be viewed as a threat to the safety of our society.

Dealing with animal cruelty is not a partisan issue. Please represent your constituents by supporting effective animal cruelty legislation like C-373, S-203 is simply not good enough.

As my representative, I ask that you will:

1) Convince others that the Conservatives need to introduce a bill similar to C-373 and make it govenment legislation.

2) Continue to work on this issue and address the other flaws within our cruelty laws such as training animals to fight each other, removing the term 'wilful' from the neglect section , taking animals out of the property section, and creating a definition of 'animal' etc.

Sincerely,

(YOUR NAME)
(YOUR ADDRESS)

Please help with Petition signatures!
http://queenwaldorf.org/

Write a letter to the editor of your paper!

NATIONAL DAY OF ACTION AGAINST ANIMAL CRUELTY MAR 30/08 A GREAT SUCCESS!
THANK YOU ALL CANADIANS WHO CAME OUT TO SHOW YOUR SUPPORT FOR EFFECTIVE ANIMAL CRUELTY LEGISLATION!

Canada wide rallies were held on Mar 30th in Montreal, Toronto, Windsor, Ottawa, Calgary, Sarnia, Yellowknife and Vancouver to ask the Govt to Vote NO to S-203 and support effective animal cruelty legislation like C-373!
Thank you to all who worked so hard to organize these important shows of support on such short notice, you raised so much awareness and at such a critical time!
Thanks to all who attended w even shorter notice! You're voices were deffinetly heard!
Huge thanks to the speakers who took the time out of their busy schedules to inspire and educate so many!
Thank you Canada wide media who helped us get the word out! We woudn't have gotten nearly this far without you!
Kudos to the animal groups who have been fighting for these changes for decades!
Thank you to each and every person who has signed petitions, wrote letters, rallied, attended courthouse protests!
Together we'll keep fighting and we will make a difference! Thank you all Bill C-373 - effective animal cruelty legislation supporters!!

Please help by spreading the word to every animal lover, friend you know! We need your continued support to help get effective animal cruelty legislation like C-373 in place!

Please join over 145,000 supporters who have signed petitions and rallied across Canada asking the Gov't to Support Bill C-373 (An Act to Amend the Criminal Code: Cruelty to Animals) and reject S-203 to Stop Animal Cruelty in Canada with effective legislation!

Also supported by every animal welfare group in Canada inc CVMA, CFHS, IFAW, SPCA, WSPA, Protective services, etc!

Time is running out! Vote on S-203 is Wed Apr 9th! We need you to Call and Email your MP and ask to vote NO to S-203 and ask to adopt effective animal cruelty legislation like C-373 as a Govt Bill!

The vast majority of Cdns oppose S-203 yet parliamentarians cont to ignore our wishes and most Conservatives, some Liberals and some Bloc are currently supporting this ineffective legislation! The NDP are thankfully supporting effective animal cruelty legislation like C-373!
Here's a link to find your MP http://canada.gc.ca/directories-repertoires/direct-eng.html Please make your voices heard now for animals who can't speak!
Here's a sample letter, please personalize and put in your own words http://groups.msn.com/StopAnimalCrueltyBillC373/samplelettertomppleasehelpwletters.msnw

Bill S-203 is a sham, promoted by politicians to placate the Canadian public while avoiding meaningful change. Its only new provision is an increase in the maximum penalties judges can impose. This will not help the animals because it’s nearly impossible to prosecute animal cruelty in Canada – less than one percent of animal abuse complaints lead to convictions. What good are stronger penalties when we can’t get convictions?

Why Bill S-203 (formerly S-213) needs to be rejected:
• it only covers animals that are “property”; therefore, “unowned” animals, such as strays and wildlife will not be protected. Animal cruelty provisions should protect all animals not just “those kept for a lawful purpose”
• it does not include a clear and concise definition of “animal”
• it does not criminalize individuals who train or organize animals to fight other animals or those who bet on animal fights
• it does not make it an offence to kill an animal with brutal and/or vicious intent, whether or not the animal dies immediately
• it makes it virtually impossible to prosecute cases of neglect because it's antiquated 116 yr old wording remains

The danger of Bill S-203 is that it could create an illusion that strong action has been taken, when it has not. ANIMAL ABUSE AND CRUELTY WILL CONTINUE TO GO UNPUNISHED!

THERE IS A BETTER WAY: BILL C-373, a private member’s Bill, would increase penalties for animal cruelty offences and effectively close the loopholes in the Criminal Code that make it difficult for enforcement agencies and the courts to convict animal abusers. Despite unfounded paranoia fueled by uninformed MP's and misguided people, C-373 protects against prosecution and allows for all regular hunting, fishing, farming, ranching, industry practices to continue!

Please see Amendments at a glance here and compare Bill differences!
http://ontariospca.ca/press_releases/2006/images/CFHS_backgrounder.pdf

More great info can be found at CFHS!
http://cfhs.ca/
http://cfhs.ca/law/federal_legislation/
http://cfhs.ca/law/commonly_asked_questions_regarding_animal_cruelty_amendments/
http://cfhs.ca/law/what_can_you_do/

MP Mark Holland's link w/ Bill info
http://markholland.ca/index.html
Mark speaks in the House against S-203, Mar 10
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnKmECGxnSs

Excellent C-373 Info at IFAW, be sure to check links on left side of page!
http://www.ifaw.org/ifaw/general/default.aspx?oid=208178
IFAW's report on how far Canada is "falling behind"!
http://www.ifaw.org/ifaw/general/default.aspx?oid=225657

WSPA
http://e-activist.com/ea-campaign/clientcampaign.do?ea.client.id=23&ea.campaign.id=256

"Hansard" link to read latest S-203 debate, Apr 4/08
http://www2.parl.gc.ca/HousePublications/Publication.aspx?Language=E&Mode=1&Parl=39&Ses=2&DocId=3389917#OOB-2398568

Joint press release from CFHS, IFAW and WSPA Apr 1/08 http://cfhs.ca/news/mps_join_animal_protection_groups_in_condemning_shameful_legislation_bill_s_203/

Please help protect animals in Canada from neglect and abuse by taking a moment to call your MP and have your voices heard! Please help spread the word and pass this page on! More Info on Homepage MSN group or facebook Stop Animal Cruelty with Bill C-373! Join us here for the latest news, media stories and discussion! Thanx for supporting effective animal cruelty legislation in Canada!
http://groups.msn.com/StopAnimalCrueltyBillC373