NATIONAL DAY OF ACTION AGAINST ANIMAL CRUELTY!



CALLING ALL CANADIANS FOR EFFECTIVE ANIMAL CRUELTY LEGISLATION!







Please join us at a rally and say NO to Bill S-203 – INEFFECTIVE legislation that won’t stop animal cruelty in Canada!







Date: Sunday, March 30th, 2008







Ottawa, ON



Location- Minto Park, corner of Elgin and Gilmour Streets



Time- Noon-2 PM



Contact Ottawa Rally organizers



Beth Greenhorn



[url=mailto:bgreenhorn@sympatico.ca">bgreenhorn@sym patico.ca[/url]



Simone Powell



[url=mailto:simpowell@animail.net">simpowell@animai l.net[/url]







Rallies being held in Canadian cities including: Montreal, Toronto, Windsor, Ottawa, Calgary and Vancouver!







- see ind city info, contacts, links and more Bill C-373 info at Stop Animal Cruelty in Canada with Bill C-373



http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2559701041



http://groups.msn.com/StopAnimalCrueltyBillC373



(Events for other cities will be created on facebook group, don't want to invite my global people to all so please help spread the word to people in those areas!)







Every animal protection group in Canada, including humane societies and SPCAs, as well as the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association, WSPA, etc opposes Bill S-203. The International Fund for Animal Welfare has found that Canada came last in a report when its animal cruelty legislation was compared to 13 other countries. Here’s the link to IFAW’s report:



http://www.ifaw.org/ifaw/general/def...spx?oid=225657







Why Bill S-203 (formerly S-213) needs to be rejected:



• it only covers animals that are “property”; therefore, “unowned” animals, such as strays and wildlife will not be protected. Animal cruelty provisions should protect all animals not just “those kept for a lawful purpose”



• it does not include a clear and concise definition of “animal”



• it does not criminalize individuals who train or organize animals to fight other animals or those who bet on animal fights



• its proposed penalties are weak



• it does not make it an offence to kill an animal with brutal and/or vicious intent, whether or not the animal dies immediately



• it makes it virtually impossible to prosecute cases of neglect







The danger of Bill S-203 is that it could create an illusion that strong action has been taken, when it has not. ANIMAL ABUSE AND CRUELTY WILL CONTINUE TO GO UNPUNISHED!







Time is running out to tell Members of Parliament that Bill S-203 does not go far enough to stop animal cruelty. A free vote (meaning MPs are not bound by their party) is being held in the House of Commons in a few weeks. To date, the Conservatives, the Liberals and the Bloc have supported Bill S-203. Even though more than 145,000 people have signed petitions recently opposing S-203 and supporting C-373, the Government continues to ignore our wishes!







THERE IS A BETTER WAY: BILL C-373, a private member’s Bill, would increase penalties for animal cruelty offences and effectively close the loopholes in the Criminal Code that make it difficult for enforcement agencies and the courts to convict animal abusers.



Please see "amendments at a glance" for bill differences



http://ontariospca.ca/press_releases...ckgrounder.pdf







WHAT YOU CAN DO:



Email, phone, or even better, write to your MP to ask him/her to reject Bill S-203 (formerly S-213) and to support Bill C-373



Sample letter can be found here



http://groups.msn.com/StopAnimalCrue...pwletters.msnw



Link to find your MP



http://canada.gc.ca/directories/direct_e.html







Come out on March 30th and say it is time stop animal cruelty in Canada (if you have time, bring banners and signs to make our rally more visible). PLEASE attend (and help spread the word!) to show the Gov't that it's time for effective animal cruelty legislation and Canada wide- animals matter too!







Please forward this notice onto your friends, colleagues and family members and encourage them to get involved.



Please help spread the word!!











For more information about Canada’s anti-cruelty legislation:







Canadian Federation of Humane Societies:



http://cfhs.ca/







Canadian Veterinary Medical Association:



http://canadianveterinarians.net/







Hansard link to S-203 debate March 10, 2008



http://www2.parl.gc.ca/HousePublications/Public...







Liberal MP Mark Holland’s website for more info about Bill C-373:



http://markholland.ca/index.html







International Fund for Animal Welfare:



http://www.ifaw.org/ifaw/general/def...spx?oid=208178







World Society for the Protection of Animals:



http://www.wspa.ca/news.asp?newsID=132