Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for her question and her work on the issue of animal welfare.
The purpose of this bill is to take a step toward bringing Canada's animal welfare laws into the 21st century. I referenced the former member for Peterborough who said that very thing in 2004, and yet no action was taken. The attempts to ban shark finning were narrowly defeated.
The EU and the U.S. have banned cats and dogs for sale and importation for many years. Canada lags behind them.
Some of the offence provisions in the Criminal Code, which we are hoping to update and modernize, have not been updated for over 100 years. It is time for Canada to bring its animal welfare laws into the 21st century.