University course examines animal rights under the law

OTTAWA — A new course being taught this fall at the University of Ottawa is an indication that attitudes toward animal rights are changing, say activists, a trend that one Liberal MP hopes will pave the way for his private member‘s bill in Parliament.

The course, Animals and the Law, will be offered to students at the university’s francophone faculty of civil law and will examine the most current legislation on animal rights, such as a recent Quebec bill that granted animals the status of sentient beings.

While many older Canadians are skeptical about furthering the rights of animals under the law, younger people have embraced a trend toward greater protections of both animals and the environment, said graduate student and course co-teacher Justine Perron.

“It’s part of the new generation’s way of thinking,” Perron said. “We need to know the next generation can live here and it’s not only about us.”

Liberal MP Nathaniel Erskine Smith hopes that attitudinal change translates into support of his bill, the Modernizing Animal Protections Act.

The proposed law aims to ban the import of dog and cat fur as well as the practice of sharkfinning and the use of live animals in target shooting.

It also contains increased fines for illegal dog-fighting.

“It’s the evolution of ideas,” Erskine-Smith said.

Bill C-246 is expected to come up for a second reading vote in the House of Commons next month, but, like most private member‘s bills, it faces an uphill battle. Private member’s bills rarely become law and Erskine Smith’s is just the latest in a string of legislation designed to toughen protections against animal abuse.

It has already faced sharp criticism from hunting and fishing organizations concerned about how the provisions would affect their industries.

The Canadian Sportfishing Industry Association has warned the legislation, as written, could leave anglers at risk of jail or hefty fines for simply baiting a hook.

Manitoba Conservative MP Robert Sopuck, who has seen more than half a dozen iterations of animal rights legislation introduced and rejected, has referred to Bill C-246 as a “Trojan horse” masking an agenda aimed at eliminating all animal-use.