Bill C-388 (Historical)

An Act to amend the Criminal Code (bestiality)

This bill is from the 42nd Parliament, 1st session, which ended in September 2019.

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 Dec. 13, 2017
(This bill did not become law.)

Summary

This is from the published bill.

This enactment amends the Criminal Code to define the term “bestiality”.

Similar bills

C-246 (42nd Parliament, 1st session) Modernizing Animal Protections Act

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-388s:

C-388 (2024) Boosting Canadian Energy and Mining Projects and Ukraine's Munitions Supply Act

C-388 (2013) National Vitamin D Day Act

C-388 (2012) National Vitamin D Day Act

C-388 (2010) An Act to amend the Criminal Code (judicial discretion)

C-388 (2009) An Act to amend the Criminal Code (judicial discretion)

C-388 (2007) An Act to amend the Criminal Code (failure to prevent access to child pornography)

Criminal CodeRoutine Proceedings

December 13th, 2017 / 3:45 p.m.

Conservative

Michelle Rempel Conservative Calgary Nose Hill, AB

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-388, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (bestiality).

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to introduce an act to amend the Criminal Code, bestiality. On June 9, 2016, the Supreme Court ruled that the Criminal Code provisions around bestiality do not adequately define which sex acts with animals are prohibited.

Consequently, the Supreme Court upheld an acquittal of a British Columbia man who was charged with bestiality after compelling the family dog to sexually abuse his daughter. This case makes it obvious that a loophole for sex abusers to avoid conviction exists. This case highlights the need for updated legislation to keep both humans and animals safe. The current law is reflective of an archaic understanding of sex, and the change the bill seeks to make reflects the language of the Supreme Court ruling and, frankly, is a no-brainer.

The Liberals should have introduced legislation to correct this issue immediately after the ruling. Nearly a year and a half later, I hope that tabling this bill today will encourage the Prime Minister to stop dragging his feet, and to take action to make this common sense change.

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