Midnight musings - part two

Why did I vote NDP in the last federal election? Do you remember Bill S 203, the woefully inadequate piece of animal cruelty legislation that was galloped through the House and Senate at breakneck speed last spring? My own MP at the time, Liberal, not only voted for this particular bill, but never replied once to any on my emails inquiring about this. I may be a middle aged granny, but the last time I looked I was a registered voter in this country.
But I digress. What was wrong with Bill S203? Basically it really didn't change anything. There is no point in increasing penalties as long as offences against animals are categorized as property offences. Why is that? Because under the current law, animal cruelty ( except for some odd reason against cattle ) is a summary conviction offense and not the more serious indictable offense.
Whats the difference? Under our Criminal Code, a summary offense conviction makes the accused liable to a two thousand dollar fine and/or six months in prison. That's what the first difference is. What else ?

• Bill S- 203 did not change the wording of the offense, 'willful neglect" Why is that a problem? Proving that a person intended to neglect their animals has made it difficult to lay charges in offenses, even where dozens of animals have been starved to death. Bill C -373 introduces the word 'negligent' with a clear definition that minimizes legal loopholes
• Bill S- 203 does not address the Brutal and Vicious killing of an animal as a form of violence, while Bill C-373 introduces it as a specific offense, whether or not the animal dies immediately. Why is this a big deal? Under existing law, if an animal dies on 'the first blow' it is impossible to get a conviction
• Bill S- 203 did not change the fact that under the existing law, it is not illegal to train and use animals to fight other animals. Bill C-373 makes it a specific offence to either train and use the animals to fight other animals as well as to profit from the same.
• S- 203 contains no protections or standards for the 'traditional uses of animals" , which includes animals used for hunting, farming and medical or scientific research. This is addressed in Bill C- 373/

So why did our federal politicians vote for Bill S 203 when there was a much better piece of legislation on the table, an NDP introduced version, Bill C-373, which would have moved animal cruelty offenses to a new and separate section of the Criminal Code?

Politics is a funny game and bills in the House move according to the priority they are assigned. Although much is made of the fact, on the Prime Minister's website, http://pm.gc.ca/eng/default.asp, that our PM supports pet adoption, at the end of the day most of politics is a game of expediency. We didn't get the good bill because it obviously wasn't an issue of importance.
Did they not know about the difference between the two bills? Of course they did. The Canadian Federation of Humane Societies , http://cfhs.ca/ , repeatedly lobbied the government on behalf of the better bill. They are still determined to reopen the issue , but of course now our House is on an extended holiday that will sadly very likely result in the second election within the space of a year.
It is a sad day for the animals when playing politics has become more important than getting on with the job of making our Canada a better place.
Until then, if you live in NS, you can reach your MP, their riding office and or their parties at:

Brison, Scott (Hon. ) Kings—Hants Liberal
Casey, Bill Cumberland—Colchester—Musquodoboit Valley Independent
Cuzner, Rodger Cape Breton—Canso Liberal
Eyking, Mark (Hon.) Sydney—Victoria Liberal
Keddy, Gerald South Shore—St. Margaret's Conservative
Kerr, Greg West Nova Conservative
Leslie, Megan Halifax NDP
MacKay, Peter Gordon (Hon.) Central Nova Conservative
Regan, Geoff (Hon.) Halifax West Liberal
Savage, Michael Dartmouth—Cole Harbour Liberal
Stoffer, Peter Sackville—Eastern Shore NDP

Before the last election, the CFHS sent all of the parties a questionnaire to determine their stance on animal welfare issues. If you are interested in reading the results, http://cfhs.ca/law/urging_candidates_to_debate_animal_welfare_issues/

Why do I take the time to follow all these things? Because at the end of the day, all politics is personal. When I was a young woman, the human rights legislation completely changed how employers could treat women. If I had become pregnant with my daughter one year earlier, there would have been no guarantee that the military could not have released me on my maternity leave.

Politics isn't an arbitrary bit of entertainment on the six o'clock news. It defines our freedoms and protects what is close to our heart. At the end of the day, democracy only works if we pay attention. If we don't keep our eyes on the ball, it could turn into a game we don't want to play.