Quebec to finally table bill on dangerous canines
The province will finally act to regulate dangerous dogs.
On Wednesday, the government gave notice of its intention to table legislation in the National Assembly on Thursday covering dogs.
“It has always been our intention to table such a law,” Public Security Minister Martin Coiteux told reporters on his way into question period. “It took a bit longer because, you know, there was a period of time where there was a lack of lawyers available to the government. They have come back, so we can proceed now.”
Coiteux was referring to a long strike by government lawyers and notaries this winter that paralyzed the legislative process.
The minister did not outline the details of the bill because it has not been tabled, but said it will be titled an “act to promote the protection of persons by establishing a framework for the regulations of dogs.”
Sources, however, indicated the bill will propose an outright ban on dangerous dogs, but also include a grandfather clause for people with such animals to give them time to adjust.
The bill will be provincewide, but will leave sufficient latitude to municipalities to apply it depending on their individual situations.
But it will create — for the first time — categories of dogs, from ordinary to potentially dangerous to dangerous, an official said.
The bill follows the creation of a government working group to review regulations surrounding dogs, and pit bulls in particular.
The working group examined existing legislation as well as the effectiveness of bans in other provinces and jurisdictions.
Montreal already has an animal control law that prevents people from buying or adopting pit bulltype dogs not already in their possession and requires existing owners to leash and muzzle them outdoors and buy a special $150 permit.
Quebec’s move comes after a series of dog incidents over the last few years. On Monday, a 60-yearold woman was mauled by her two dogs in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu.