Mr. Speaker, I rise to present a petition from citizens of the Peterborough area who are concerned about cruelty to pets. They point out that there is mounting evidence of a link between animal abuse and domestic violence, and violence against people in general, and that essentially the Criminal Code regards animals as property and offences against them as little more than property offences.
Therefore, the petitioners call upon parliament to work toward swift and effective action that works to modernize Canada's laws dealing with crimes against animals and that the penalties for such actions be made strict enough to act as a deterrent against such behaviour.