A Milestone for Horses: Bill C-355 Passes in the House of Commons!
January 31, 2024 marked a historic win for draft horses in Canada.
Bill C-355 [https://www.parl.ca/
We note that Liberal and NDP members voted in favour of the bill whereas Conservative and Bloc members were apt to vote against. (A handful of Conservative MPs, however, did not cast votes at all.) Go here to see how your Member of Parliament voted: https://www.ourcommons.
Although we celebrate this huge first step for horses, our work is not done. Now that Bill C-355 has successfully passed the HOC, it moves on to be examined by the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food. Here we will likely see proposed amendments to the bill with horse meat lobbyists attempting to undermine the excellent protective efforts achieved so far. Expecting this, we must continue to contact our legislators in order to emphasize the fact that Canadians care about horses! Contact information for members of the Agriculture Committee can be found by clicking on each member’s profile photo on this page: AGRI – Members – House of Commons of Canada (ourcommons.ca). Twelve members sit on this committee.
We are forever grateful to MP Tim Louis for introducing this wonderful bill to protect horses, and also to Senator Pierre Dalphond, whose Horse Protection Act stands in support of MP Tim’s efforts. As the bill moves forward, it must eventually be considered and passed by the Senate.
We salute our amazing patron, Jann Arden, whose voice has resounded throughout Canada and beyond as she has called for an end to the cruel exports of horses for slaughter. Her fearless advocacy is an inspiration!
We commend all of the animal protection organizations that have come together for this cause, and our individual supporters who have emailed, called, and met with their Members of Parliament in order to achieve maximum support for Bill C-355. Simply stated, this has been a team effort and we couldn’t have got this far without you!
Thank you, all!
