Mr. Speaker, the second petition is again from a number of citizens of Canada, who wish to draw to the attention of the House the fact that horses are ordinarily kept and treated as sport and companion animals, not raised primarily as food-producing animals. Horses are commonly administered drugs that are strictly prohibited from being used at any time in other food-producing animals destined for the human food supply, and Canadian horsemeat products that are currently being sold for human consumption in domestic and international markets are likely to contain prohibited substances.
Therefore the petitioners ask the House of Commons to bring forward and adopt into legislation Bill C-544, An Act to amend the Health of Animals Act and the Meat Inspection Act, thus prohibiting the importation or exportation of horses for slaughter for human consumption as well as horsemeat products for human consumption.