Whatever happened to that promising new piece of Animal Protection legislation, referred to on last years docket as Bill 186 ? While it wasn't perfect, it was definitely a step up from the existing law.
Did it falter on first reading? Nope! Did it stumble on the second reading? No sir! Is it still lingering with the Law Amendments Committee? Wrong again.
The debating and submissions and voting have all been done. Bill 186 is ready to go ..... but like all legislation, it must be given Royal Assent. Royal Assent is given by the Lieutenant Governor before the House of Assembly and the Bill is thereafter referred to as an Act.
When THAT is done, then the new Animal Protection Act will become law. Until that is done, it is just a good idea ... a piece of paper ... that cannot help the animals.
Unless you are new to this blog, you have already read the other posts about Bill 186, the latest one being A tight timeline to make a difference , hoping to get the finishing touches done before the election.
The ready to go version can be read at ... pay attention to articles 31 - 34. http://www.gov.ns.ca/legislature/legc/PDFs/annual%20statutes/2008%20Fall/c033.pdf
If the Bill had been finalized, according to articles 31, 32 and 33, there would have been an independent Appeal Board to hear the cases of people who have had their animals seized and were trying to get them back. It is a time sensitive process that is designed to move quickly so the animals are not held for long periods of time while the case is resolved in the courts.
Under the Appeals Board, owners of seized animals would be able to present their case to an arm's length tribunal and request that the animals be returned.
As I understand it, this is provides the owner with the right to a impartial hearing, while at the same time permitting the society to bring closure to the issue of animal ownership and proceed with adoption if the animals are not awarded back to the owner.
We all remember how long the Celtic Pets survivors languished in cages ... unable to be adopted under the existing laws.
If you went to college or university, if you worked hard and passed all your courses, you would be pretty ticked if they refused to give you the credentials that you had earned. Without that piece of paper, you wouldn't have the qualifications needed to get on with the job in the field of your choice.
The bill was originally inspired by the newfound enthusiasm for animal welfare by politicians of all stripes in the wake of the strong voter feedback in opposition to Bill 138. But politicians often have the same attention span as a ten week old puppy. Without the motivation of strong voter feedback, the bill could, and very likely will, sit on the back burner for months and months to come.
What time is it? While your MLA's are home for the holidays, its time to remind them to finish what they started. ( if your MLA isn't in your address book, you can find their contact info Members - Constituencies. Remember its usually best to contact the home riding office and not the House one. )
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