Canada's current animal cruelty law was originally enacted in 1892 and very badly needs to be updated.  If all that is needed were tougher penalties then Bill S-213 would do the trick.  But, there is so much wrong with the current law that needs to be fixed and merely increasing penalties doesn't even come close to fixing the problems.  The current law makes it very difficult to prosecute cases of neglect, even when numerous animal have been starved to death.  The current law protects different animals differently, affording less protection for unowned animals than for owned animals.  The current law doesn't make it a crime to train animals to fight other animals and it doesn't specifically protect law enforcement animals.  Bill C-373 would fix all these problems; Bill S-213 would fix none of them.
    What is important to note is that, while Bill S-213 modernizes the language, it does not make radical changes and does not give animals rights. Bill C-373 uses the same key words to describe the offences that have been used for the past 115 years. Such words include: "causing unnecessary pain and suffering" and "killing an animal without lawful excuse". This means that, contrary to claims being made by the hunting and fishing industries, lawful activities like farming, hunting, fishing, trapping and scientific research will remain lawful under Bill C-373. Information above provided by Shelagh McDonald, Program Director, Canadian Federation of Humane Societies www.cfhs.ca