Mr. Speaker, it is a true honour to rise to present a petition that has been signed by over 10,000 people, in fact, 10,187 people. Some are constituents, but they are from far and wide and include eminent researchers in animal issues from York research centre and from Queen's University. It is a very long petition, with many signatories, including the Humane Society International and the Montreal SPCA. It follows on a declaration by 39 scientists called the New York Declaration on Animal Consciousness.
The petitioners, and again, as I said, it is an eminent list, call on the Government of Canada to reconsider and reform our laws as they relate to animals. The petitioners point out that animals currently under our law are not considered sentient beings and are classified as property.
The researchers and scientists confirm that sentience is the ability to experience feelings and sensations and is an ethical basis for determining that animals deserve moral consideration. Thirty-two countries have formally recognized non-human animal sentience and they are cited in this petition, including the European Union, Switzerland, China, Chile, Australia, the United States, Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. The petitioners ask that Canada join this group of countries and reform our laws to recognize animals as sentient beings.