Bill C-610 (Historical)

An Act to amend the Criminal Code (cruelty to animals)

This bill is from the 41st Parliament, 2nd session, which ended in August 2015.

Sponsor

Irwin Cotler  Liberal

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 6, 2014
(This bill did not become law.)

Summary

This is from the published bill.

This enactment amends the Criminal Code to expand the scope of existing offence-creating provisions related to animal cruelty and to create new offences.

Elsewhere

All sorts of information on this bill is available at LEGISinfo, an excellent resource from the Library of 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-610s:

C-610 (2010) Protection of Beneficiaries of Long Term Disability Benefits Plans Act

Criminal CodeRoutine Proceedings

June 6th, 2014 / 12:10 p.m.

Liberal

Irwin Cotler Liberal Mount Royal, QC

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-610, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (cruelty to animals).

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise and introduce this legislation, which amends the Criminal Code's provisions on animal cruelty. In particular, it creates a new offence of inadequate and negligent care of animals. The bill establishes an offence for anyone who negligently causes unnecessary pain, suffering, or injury to an animal or bird, or, being the owner, wilfully or recklessly abandons it or fails to provide suitable and adequate food, water, air, shelter, and care for it. It also punishes those who negligently injure an animal or bird while it is being conveyed.

As hon. members know, Canada's animal cruelty laws are woefully out of date. They have not been updated since the 1890s. In my view, this bill represents an important step toward modernizing the law, although I realize more will be done.

Given the order of precedence, I realize this bill may not see debate before I leave Parliament. I would thus invite the government to consider adopting this legislation as its own and to introduce long-overdue animal cruelty reforms so that Canada's laws respect and protect animals against actions that show disregard or contempt for their security and well-being.

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