Mr. Speaker, I would like to present a petition in support of Bill C-544. It is signed by hundreds of people from across Ontario.
The petitioners supporting Bill C-544 are concerned about the use of horse meat. They point out that horses are primarily kept for sports and companions and are not being raised primarily for food production. The petitioners also point out that, as part of the maintenance and keeping of horses, drugs are used and may complicate things when horses are in fact slaughtered and used for food production.
The petitioners are asking the House of Commons and Parliament to bring forward and adopt Bill C-544, An Act to amend the Health of Animals Act and the Meat Inspection Act, thus prohibiting the importation and exportation of horses for slaughter for human consumption, as well as horse meat products for human consumption.