Canada needs to take a tough stance on animal cruelty
We soon may be one the last legal markets for items trimmed with fur from cats and dogs

Barbara Yaffe, Vancouver Sun
Published: Thursday, December 22, 2005

All the talk of peace on earth and goodwill toward men is heartening at this time of year; but there's another message that needs to preoccupy us.

It comes from Albert Einstein, whose interests went far beyond math and science: "Our task must be to widen our circle of compassion, to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty."

Canada, as a compassionate nation that boasts of a Charter of Rights and Freedoms for its citizens has shown shocking disregard when it comes to the task of offering protection to its animals.

It's now an old story that federal politicians have failed to toughen Canada's pathetic animal-cruelty law which dates from 1892.

An updated law which would make penalties for animal abusers more realistic was first introduced in 1999 by the Liberals. But it has gone through several incarnations without becoming law.

It began life as C-15, went on to become C-10b, C-22, and finally C-50 which died on the Order Paper when Parliament dissolved last month following a vote of non-confidence in the government.

According to the International Fund for Animal Welfare in Canada, the legislation died on the Order Paper six times!

The bill would have designated animals as beings in their own right, not merely property. Right now, if you want to skin alive a stray cat -- and this has been done -- you can do it with near impunity.

Under the bills that made it to -- but not through -- Parliament, penalties for abuse would be increased from $2,000 and a possible two-year ban on animal ownership to $10,000, five years jail time and an indefinite ban on guardianship.

Why was it so difficult to pass this bill?

It had broad public support -- the IFAW says polls show 93 per cent of Canadians support tougher legislation; and, by the way, nearly 70 per cent oppose Canada's seal hunt.

It's interesting to note that while bill C-50 was carefully worded to permit accepted animal industry practices to continue, hunters, anglers and animal-use industry groups are now asking for an exemption from Criminal Code provisions on animal cruelty.

And there's a new twist to the animal-cruelty story that has lately emerged. Dogs and cats are being slaughtered and killed abroad for their fur.

Dog and cat fur is being used to enhance toys and trinkets and for trim on jacket hoods. In some cases, the fur is used for ladies' coats.

The product reportedly is coming from China, Thailand and the Philippines, as well as some eastern European countries. And the practice of skinning animals is being conducted with the utmost brutality, according to the Association for the Protection of Fur Bearing Animals, based in Vancouver.

The association recently contacted the federal Ministers of International Trade, and Agriculture, and reports: "This trade is legal in Canada, and there is no way to tell how much of this fur is already in Canada."

Aimee Johnson, assistant director of the association, notes that neither import nor labelling laws are in place here. So, it's impossible for shoppers to know what type of fur any given product features.
The Americans have a Dog and Cat Protection Act. Five years ago, following a public outcry, the U.S. banned the trade in all dog and cat fur products. Italy, France, Denmark, Greece, Belgium, Switzerland and Australia followed suit.

Celebrity couple Paul McCartney and Heather Mills are currently campaigning for a European Union-wide ban on such products, which is expected to be imposed shortly.

Johnson points out, with bans being put in place in all these other locations, "Canada will become one of the main, and one of the last, legal markets for this fur."

Clearly, whatever new Parliament Canada ends up with after Jan. 23 must make this issue a top priority. But what are the chances of addressing this problem quickly when Ottawa has dithered for six years over a simple animal-cruelty bill?

Anyone who has had a dog or cat as a loyal friend can only deplore the lack of legislative priority we accord these sentient and loving creatures. Einstein would be mortified.