Rebellious Liberal senators last week did what the Canadian Alliance
had been unable to do through months of delaying tactics in the House
of Commons – amend the government’s cruelty-to-animals legislation.
On Nov. 21, on instruction from the full Senate, contentious Bill C-10
was split in two at a Senate committee, creating separate bills
relating to changes to the gun registry and Criminal Code protections
for animals.
When the legal and constitutional affairs committee begins study on the
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animal cruelty bill, there are strong indications the Liberal majority
on the committee will accept proposals from farm groups, aboriginal
communities and medical researchers that the bill be amended to make
certain that normal animal husbandry, hunting and research activities
are not subject to prosecution under the law.
With last week’s amendment and the prospect of more, the legislation
will have to go back to the House of Commons once the Senate has
approved the bills as amended. It means the new rules on increasing
penalties for deliberate acts of animal cruelty will not make it into
law until next year and not before a new debate in the Commons that
will give critics of the bill another chance to lobby for an amendment
to protect farmers.
The farm lobby has said it supports tougher animal cruelty laws, but
wants to be certain animal welfare activists cannot use the new law to
harass farmers who carry out such normal practices as castration,
branding or caging.
“This is great news,” Canadian Alliance justice critic Vic Toews said
last week when he heard of the Senate action.
During the Commons debate last spring, rural Liberals were sympathetic
to the rural arguments but voted for it after they were assured the
government would amend it in the Senate. Once it had passed, justice
minister Martin Cauchon said he had made no such promise.
In the Senate during debate this fall, there has been sustained
criticism from opposition and government of both the firearms
registration system and the animal cruelty law.
