The world is a dangerous place

From Mark Holland's Website http://www.markholland.ca/issues/animals.htm
Mark Holland campaigns for effective animal cruelty bill - now called Bill C-229
Mark Holland believes strongly in the need to reform the Criminal Code to better protect animals from intentional cruelty, and he has worked to raise the profile of this issue since first being elected in 2004.
On November 26, 2008, Mark re-introduced his private member's bill on animal cruelty. Now numbered C-229, it is identical to the private member's bill C-373 which he tabled in the 39th Parliament on October 30, 2006, and the former Bill C-50, introduced by the Liberal government in the 38th Parliament. Since first introducing Bill C-373, Mark has worked cooperatively with respected national and international animal welfare groups which are campaigning for effective animal cruelty law reform. Their concerted efforts are focused on convincing the Conservative government to introduce his bill as government legislation.
Provisions of the Criminal Code dealing with animal cruelty have changed very little since 1892 and they are extremely antiquated. This has often made it difficult to obtain convictions against animal abusers, and when convictions are obtained, the penalties are often too light. These laws were also written at a time when animals were protected by virtue of being property.
Shocking cases of animal abuse are often in the news. Most recently, in Didsbury, Alberta, a Labrador-border collie cross named Daisy Duke was tortured and dragged for a kilometre behind a vehicle, with duct tape around her legs and mouth and leaving a trail of blood. She had to be euthanized she was so badly injured, and her owner and a juvenile have been charged.
Serious violent criminals such as serial killers often begin with animal abuse, which can be an early indicator of crimes against people. Therefore, effective animal cruelty legislation can allow the justice system to intervene early in people who might go on to other serious crimes.
In 1999, the federal government introduced legislation to reform animal cruelty provisions as part of a larger omnibus bill of Criminal Code reforms. Over the years, the bill was broken up and many changes were made to address concerns of hunters, anglers, and others who use animals in their livelihoods. The revised bill was actually passed by the House of Commons several times in the springs of 2002 and 2003, but the House of Commons and Senate could not agree on amendments, and the bill has died a number of times on the order paper. Bill C-50, introduced in May 2005, was similar to previous bills, but addressed a concern raised in the Senate about aboriginal hunting rights. C-373 makes no changes from the former C-50.
The bill has always enjoyed support from major animal welfare groups, but in the fall of 2004, it obtained the support of most organizations representing animal use industries. This support, however, was shattered when an ineffective bill was introduced as a diversionary tactic in the Senate by Senator John G. Bryden. That bill, originally known as S-213, is strongly opposed by Mark and by animal welfare organizations such as the Canadian Federation of Humane Societies. Unfortunately, due to a difference in the rules for private members' business introduced in the House and the Senate, the ineffective S-203 has raced through the Senate and has been fast-tracked in the House while the more comprehensive C-373 is stuck in a long queue of private members' bills introduced by MPs.
With the prorogation of Parliament in the fall of 2007, bill S-213 needed to be passed again in the Senate and was given a new bill number, S-203. (Bill C-373 is not affected by prorogation, and continues to be stuck in a long queue of MPs' private members' bills.) Debate and final vote in the Senate was swift. As no changes were made from the original bill, S-203 resumed where S-213 left off in the House of Commons.
Following second reading in the House of Commons on November 29, 2007, S-203 was sent to the Commons Justice Committee. After clause by clause study, the Justice Committee returned it to the House of Commons without amendments, where on April 9, 2008, it was voted on for the final time. The Conservative government mustered enough support from opposition MPs to pass the bill. Mark was able to bring on side dozens of other Liberal colleagues to vote against S-203. In the end, 189 (mainly Conservative) MPs voted for S-203, and 70 MPs (a mix of Liberal, NDP and a few Bloc members) voted against it. The issue of advancing progressive legislation to reform animal cruelty laws was rekindled with the re-introduction of Mark Holland's bill, now called C-229, in the 40th Parliament.
Please watch this page for further information about this initiative.
The Mark Holland Update
Canadian Pets & Animals Magazine is publishing an article by MP Mark Holland in their September 2007 issue, which provides an update on the two animal cruelty bills. A copy of this article is being mailed with other information about animal cruelty as a Mark Holland Update to Canadians who have indicated an interest in this issue and have provided Mark with their mailing address.
An electronic version of this Mark Holland Update can also be downloaded as a pdf file. The article alone can be viewed here.
What can you do to help?
Many Canadians have asked how they can help to pass effective animal cruelty legislation. There are a number of things you can do, but the most helpful is to write to your Member of Parliament, Senators, and Justice Minister Rob Nicholson. We would like MPs and Senators to do the following:
Indicate that they wish to join an all-party team of MPs and Senators in support of the general principles of C-229.
Urge the government to introduce a government bill based on C-229.
For more information, including how to contact your MP, Senators and Minister Nicholson, please click here.
For some reason, this newest piece of legislation isn't getting the attention that its previous versions received on the CFHS site, http://www.cfhs.ca/ . In all fairness, the results from the survey that they sent out to all the political parties prior to the last election are still available on the left hand sidebar of the Federal Legislation page http://cfhs.ca/law/federal_legislation/.
This is a reintroduced bill, which means that it was considered to be approved at all stages before Parliament was prorogued.
Last year. Bill S 203 was fast tracked by the Conservatives and galloped through all stages with indecent haste in spite of strong opposition from the CFHS and every humane group in the country.
From Beechwood to budgetary issues, this session of Parliament promises to have a pretty full slate to address before things wrap up. Once that happens, nothing will be passed until the fall session sits.
The groundwork has already been laid. The CFHS has already declared strong support for the previous version.
So can we expect to see this galloped through with the same haste that S 203 was? Not unless the animal loving public in this country let their Members of Parliament know how important Bill C 229 to them as a voter.
In the last election, I did not vote Liberal. Why was that? Because my Liberal MP voted FOR Bill S-203. In addition to support from the animal loving public, Mr Holland will need to get his own party on board. It will be interesting to see if this newest morph of the Liberal Party will have the gumption to back up this latest attempt by one of their own to update the law.
I know I sound like a stuck record, but just in case your MP isn't already in your address book:
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

The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing... - Albert Einstein