Bill C-544 (Historical)

An Act to amend the Health of Animals Act and the Meat Inspection Act (slaughter of horses for human consumption)

This bill is from the 40th Parliament, 3rd session, which ended in March 2011.

Sponsor

Introduced as a private member’s bill. (These don’t often become law.)

Status

Outside the Order of Precedence (a private member's bill that hasn't yet won the draw that determines which private member's bills can be debated), as of June 16, 2010
(This bill did not become law.)

Summary

This is from the published bill.

This enactment amends the Health of Animals Act and the Meat Inspection Act to prohibit the importation or exportation
(a) of horses for slaughter for human consumption; and
(b) of horse-meat products for human consumption.

Elsewhere

All sorts of information on this bill is available at LEGISinfo, an excellent resource from Parliament. You can also read the full text of the bill.

Bill numbers are reused for different bills each new session. Perhaps you were looking for one of these other C-544s:

C-544 (2013) Elimination of Partisan Government Advertising Act

C-544 (2008) An Act to amend the Excise Tax Act (children's diapers and products for newborns)

Health of Animals ActRoutine Proceedings

June 16th, 2010 / 3:20 p.m.

NDP

Alex Atamanenko NDP British Columbia Southern Interior, BC

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-544, An Act to amend the Health of Animals Act and the Meat Inspection Act (slaughter of horses for human consumption).

Mr. Speaker, this private member's bill would amend the Health of Animals Act by saying that no person shall import horses for slaughter for human consumption, and also that no person shall export from Canada or send or convoy from one province to another horses for slaughter for human consumption.

There would also be an amendment to the Meat Inspection Act to add that no person shall import or export a horsemeat product for human consumption or send or convoy a horsemeat product for human consumption from one province to another.

The main point here is health. We are seeing the prevalence in horsemeat of anti-inflammatory drugs. For example, phenylbutazone is quite likely to be prevalent in horsemeat. It is a known carcinogen and it is illegal to use it in any animal that enters the food supply.

My bill would prevent these drugs that are given to horses from entering the food supply. Therefore, I would ask all members to support this bill.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)