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ST. CATHARINES MP VOTES FOR INADEQUATE ANIMAL CRUELTY LEGISLATION

St. Catharines Conservative MP Rick Dykstra voted for a Senate-sponsored bill in a House of Commons committee last week that would increase penalties for abuse of animals but is considered toothless by animal welfare groups, veterinarians and humane societies.

Bill S-203 was passed in the House of Commons justice committee despite opposition to the legislation from several organizations and over 130,000 Canadians, including about 11,000 from the Niagara region who signed the Queen Waldorf petition in support of Bill C-373, a private member's bill to toughen animal cruelty laws.

The Senate bill was supported by the Liberal and Conservative MPs on the committee and opposed by the NDP, The Canadian Federation of Humane Societies, The World Society for the Protection of Animals, The International Fund for Animal Welfare and the Canadian Veterinarian Medical Association.

Mark Holland, MP for Ajax-Pickering, who has introduced Bill C-373 in the House, said "To pass an animal cruelty law that has every major animal welfare group opposed to it makes no sense."

Windsor MP, Joe Comartin, who is also the NDP Justice Critic , told the committee last week "You were given ... the opportunity to do two things: bring this legislation up-to-date and to send a message to the Senate that we're not going to let an undemocratic, irresponsible group dictate to us.

"You're foregoing both those possibilities. I can tell you that's the message I'm going to be giving when I'm out on the hustings, if we in fact have an early election," he added.

Queen Waldorf, the elderly German Shepherd found with weights on her collar beside the Chippawa River, put her pawprint on a petition started in front of the St. Catharines courthouse last June. Since then, organizers have collected close to 15,000 signatures from around the Niagara area and elsewhere in support of Bill C-373.

"I feel that Mr. Dykstra has let down most of his constituents" said Sherry Nath, administrator of www.queenwaldorf.com. "It seems he is unaware of how important this issue is to his constituents as the vast majority of signatures are from his riding".

Nath explained that Bill S-203, unlike Bill C-373, still considers animals as property, does not make it an offence to breed, train or sell animals for fighting, does not protect stray or wild animals and makes it almost impossible to get a conviction for a violation as the wilful intent to harm an animal has to be proven.

Currently less than 1 per cent of charges of animal cruelty result in convictions under laws that were written over 100 years ago. Canada's laws pertaining to the treatment of animals are considered to be below the standards in several countries, including the Phillipines.

Bill S-203 will now go to the House of Commons for approval. Animal rights groups around the country are continuing to fight against its passage with protest rallies, letters to MPs and awareness campaigns in the media.

"I encourage everyone who cares about animals of any kind to help us defeat this inadequate bill," said Nath. "E-mail or call your member of Parliament and ask them to vote down Bill S-203 and support Bill C-373."