MPPs split on ending ‘discriminatory’ pit bull ban
A Progressive Conservative MPP hoping to end Ontario’s “discriminatory” ban on pit bulls says he welcomes concerns from citizens who are worried about the dogs as his proposal goes to a legislative committee for further study.
“It’s a highly emotional topic,” Rick Nicholls (Chatham-KentLeamington) acknowledged Thursday before legislators voted 36 to 12 in favour of the private member’s bill to scrap the 2005 ban imposed by a previous Liberal government after a vicious pit bull attack on a Toronto man.
The12 ballots against the legislation were all from Nicholls’s fellow Progressive Conservatives, including Education Minister Stephen Lecce and Lisa MacLeod, the minister of heritage, sport, tourism and culture.
“For some of them, they have their own personal stories and I respect that,” Nicholls told the Star, noting one caucus colleague recently showed pictures of a young relative who had been attacked and bitten around the eye and cheek by a dog whose breed was not specified.
“For others, it may have been a case of they’re listening to their constituents.”
None of the MPPs who voted against ending the ban spoke out during the debate, although interim Liberal Leader John Fraser said earlier in the day that ending the ban would pose “a risk to public safety.”
Nicholls said he wants to hear arguments on both sides because “we want to make sure we get this bill right.”
Ontario’s prohibition on pit bulls will remain in place until there is a final vote on the bill in the legislature, which is not likely to be held until the spring. No committee dates have yet been scheduled.
Given that it is a private member’s bill from a backbench MPP and not a cabinet minister, it would be easier for Premier Doug Ford’s government to drop if it becomes a political hot potato.
The legislation is supported by the Toronto Humane Society and the Ontario Veterinary Medical Association, among other animal groups, which have long argued the ban was not based on data and scientific evidence.
The Green party and the NDP also back the bill, with several New Democrat MPPs speaking in favour of it Thursday.
“There are dogs that are vicious but it’s unique to that individual animal,” said Doug Raven, chief executive of the veterinary association, who argued against “taking whole breeds and casting them as villains.”