International Fund for Animal Welfare January 3, 2005

Urgent: Stop Animal Cruelty in Canada
Support Bill C-50 during the 2006 election campaign!

For the past six years, IFAW has worked tirelessly to pass tougher animal cruelty legislation in Canada. Unfortunately Bill C-50, an Act to amend the Criminal Code of Canada with regards to Animal Cruelty, has died once again with the disbanding of Parliament.

Now I need your help to ensure that when Parliament resumes it will reintroduce appropriate anti-cruelty legislation to protect animals in Canada from abuse. The upcoming election is a great opportunity to tell candidates that animal welfare is an important voting issue for you.

Bill C-50 is crucial legislation that removes animals from the property crimes section of the Criminal Code, thereby protecting strays and wildlife as well as owned animals. It provides tougher penalties for those convicted of criminal abuse and neglect of animals, increasing penalties up to five years in jail and fines up to $10,000. It also gives judges the important ability to ban serious cruelty offenders from ever owning animals again.

Please help us make sure ALL candidates hear the following three messages from the Canadian public:

Six years is long enough. There has been adequate debate on this anti-cruelty Bill as well as ample protection given to animal-use groups and aboriginal groups. The Bill must now be passed without further changes.
Hunters, anglers and animal-use industry groups are asking to be exempt from this legislation with regards to the Criminal Code of Canada. This is unacceptable. There are protections in place that ensure what is currently legal in Canada will remain legal under the term “lawful excuse”. For example, police are not exempt from assault laws in the Criminal Code of Canada even though their jobs may require force. No one should be exempt from the Criminal Code of Canada.
93% of Canadians support tougher anti-cruelty laws and government must respond by passing this legislation immediately.
Here’s what you can do to prevent animal cruelty right now:

Send a letter to your electoral candidates asking them to support the legislation without changes or exemptions.
When candidates and campaigners come to your door, tell them you support Bill C-50 as written and you DO NOT support any exemptions. Ask them if they support the legislation and tell them it is a voting issue for you! If they don’t support the legislation without changes or exemptions tell them you cannot vote for them.
Call the candidates’ offices and indicate your support for the legislation without exemptions. Ask the candidates to respond with their positions.
Attend all-candidates meetings and raise this issue.
To learn more about the urgent need for new animal cruelty legislation in Canada please visit the IFAW website where you can find sample candidate letters and questions. You can also contact us directly at 1-888-500-IFAW.

Thank you for your support. Together, we can finally pass legislation that will better protect animals in Canada.

Thanks for all you do,

Fred O’Regan
President and CEO

P.S. There’s never been a better time to speak out against animal cruelty in Canada. The upcoming election promises to be fierce, and candidates need your vote more than ever. Tell them your vote depends on their support of Bill C-50 without exemptions by sending them a letter right now.