Quebec abandons idea of breed-specific dog ban
‘There is no scientific consensus,’ coiteux says of flip on pit bulls
QUEBEC The sister of a woman mauled to death in 2016 by her neighbour’s dog says she is very disappointed the provincial government has abandoned the idea of banning pit bulls.
“Today, we are getting the impression this situation is commonplace,” said Lise Vadnais, sister of 55-year-old Christiane Vadnais, who was killed in her Pointe-auxTrembles backyard.
“What seems to be important is saving our pit bulls. People who get attacked and disfigured or have half an arm ripped off are not important.
“It’s as if we’re saying, as a society, we have to live this way. We have to accept there are pit bulls and we are more or less safe.”
Vadnais made the comments on Radio-Canada shortly after Public Security Minister Martin Coiteux announced Quebec is dropping breed-specific clauses in Bill 128, the province’s framework legislation on dogs.
The move comes just as the bill heads into the clause-by-clause stage of the adoption process at the National Assembly.
“There is no scientific consensus that the idea of going so far as to designate a ban on a specific race (of dogs) is applicable,” Coiteux told reporters.
“This came across very strongly during hearings (into the bill) and I believe when we make laws they need to be based on objective scientific facts.”
The issue of targeting specific breeds of dogs has been one of the main sticking points in the debate over the bill, tabled in the emotionally charge atmosphere that followed various attacks.
Schedule 1 of the bill specifically identifies certain breeds of dogs as “potentially dangerous” and to be covered by a provincewide ban.
The list includes American pit bull terriers, American Staffordshire terriers, Staffordshire bull terriers, Rottweilers, plus crossbreeds of all of the above.
But Coiteux said the committee examining the bill heard plenty of testimony, especially from municipal levels of government, indicating it would not be applicable.
He said he was surprised to hear even nearby Ottawa does not apply Ontario’s ban on pit bulls because it has deemed it unworkable.
On the other hand, the committee also heard emotional testimony from victims calling for action.
In their testimony to the committee, the Vadnais family called on politicians to put their differences aside and implement a ban on specific breeds.
The father of Vanessa Biron, who was disfigured by a dog in a park in Brossard in 2015, appeared, urging MNAs not to cave in to pressure from the pit bull lobby whom he compared to the NRA in the United States, which defends Americans’ right to carry guns.
Coiteux, however, said he’s already in talks with the opposition parties to proceed with other elements of the bill, which have support. He insisted the bill is not being watered down because of internal pressure from the Liberal caucus, which fears the political ramifications of the controversial ban in an election year.
“Not adopting the bill would be backing down,” Coiteux told reporters. “It would be leaving things as they are. We are going to assume our responsibilities.
“This is not a sign of backing down. It is a sign we are proceeding in a pragmatic way.”
He said other elements of the bill are intact. There will soon be stricter rules for dog breeders to put an end to problems associated with too much cross-breeding or abuse of dogs making them threats when they reach the marketplace.
Asked about how victims of dog attacks will react to his decision, Coiteux said their testimony moved him.
“That is why we are not dropping the project,” he said, noting the bill gives municipalities the power to seize and if necessary euthanize dogs that attack people or order people with dangerous dogs to get rid of them.
It also includes strict rules about keeping dogs on leashes in public places when children are present.
In Montreal, reaction from Mayor Valérie Plante’s administration was positive.
“We are pleased. They did their work, they met the experts and they came to the same conclusions that we did, that there is no scientific basis for legislating against a specific breed,” said Montreal councillor Craig Sauvé, member of the city’s executive committee responsible for animal services.
“What’s more, even if we did it, it’s very difficult to apply it, as we’ve seen in other cities in Canada. Ottawa was mentioned today.”
Montreal’s short-lived pit-bull ban, instituted under previous mayor Denis Coderre in 2016, was scrapped in December by the new Projet Montréal administration voted in last fall.
The city said it was awaiting Quebec’s decision on its animalcontrol bill before it would present its new animal-control bylaw.
And announcement regarding Montreal’s new legislation is coming next week, Sauvé said.