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News release |
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Communiqué |
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Inky Mark, MP |
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Dauphin-Swan River |
December 11, 2001
Ottawa—Inky Mark, MP for Dauphin-Swan River said that it could soon be a Criminal Code offence to use a cattle prod on your cows, or dock your pig’s tails.
“Bill C-15B, I am sure is full of good intent. Nobody wants to see an animal get hurt. But to categorize all animals as no longer being property and giving them a human identity isn’t the answer either. This Bill would see farmers turn into criminals for docking their pig’s tails, stabling their PMU horses, or loading cattle in a truck using a cattle prod. Aboriginal rights to hunt would be restricted. If an animal can feel pain, and you’re the source – you’ll have committed a federal offence,” Mark said.
Bill C–15B, which is an Act to amend the Criminal Code and the Firearms Act, seeks to remove the current Criminal Code provisions dealing with animals from the property sections. While the move does extend animals the rights to be protected from any form of cruelty, it places those who are in animal related professions at risk of being charged for employing commonly accepted methods of animal husbandry. Being pronounced guilty of animal abuse will net a maximum fine of $5,000 or 6 months in jail. If found guilty of abuse of a law enforcement animal, the fine inflates to $10,000 and a maximum jail term of 5 years.
Bill C-15B also proposes to make amendments to the Firearms Act. Among the amendments to this Act are; no longer requiring the renewal of licenses be handled in the same fashion as acquiring a license; establishing a pre-approval process for the importation of firearms of non-residents; allowing applications to be made electronically and the appointment of a Commissioner of Firearms.
“The Firearms Act is fast approaching the $700 million mark in cost to the Canadian taxpayer, and it has proven to be a dismal failure and complete waste of time and money. The only amendment to the Firearms Act I could support would be a repeal of registration. Those funds could have been better spent on agricultural relief and health care. Now they want to appoint someone to oversee the registration of firearms. The cost of this flawed legislation just never ends and it’s done nothing but create problems from day one. It should never have been passed and it should now be repealed,” Mark concluded.
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