S-270Bill not proceeded with

Law to better protect live horses during transport.

Horse Protection Act

Introduced Jun 20, 2023·Last discussed Mar 21, 2024

Summary

This proposed law is about protecting live horses that are being sent out of Canada. It would change the rules in the Health of Animals Act. This act is about keeping animals healthy. The proposed law would also change the rules about penalties for not following the rules. These penalties are called Agriculture and Agri-Food Administrative Monetary Penalties Regulations. This proposed law affects anyone who exports live horses from Canada. This includes farmers, horse traders, and transportation companies. It also affects the horses themselves. The proposed law matters because it aims to make sure horses are treated humanely during export. It could mean better conditions for horses during long journeys. This proposed law is important to people who care about animal welfare. It shows that Canada is thinking about how animals are treated when they are sent to other countries. Even though this proposed law did not pass, it brought attention to the issue of exporting live horses.

Where This Lands on Key Issues

Where this proposed law falls on the policy spectrums that Canadians care about

Environment, Climate & ResourcesStrong climate action now

The bill aims to improve the treatment of horses, which can be seen as a step towards animal welfare and environmental consciousness, although it's a relatively small impact.

Rural Communities & CultureMaintain current rural support

The bill impacts the export of live horses, which is often connected to rural communities and agricultural practices. Better treatment of horses could be seen as supporting rural values related to animal care, though the impact is limited.

This bill

Bill Quality

Solid

This proposed law aims to stop the export of live horses from Canada for slaughter, which is a goal many animal welfare advocates support. However, it relies on proving what someone "should reasonably know" about the horses' destination, which could be hard to enforce.

Things to Watch For

It may be difficult to prove that someone knew the horses were going to slaughter.
The law does not address the slaughter of horses within Canada.
The definition of 'fattened for slaughter' could be unclear and lead to loopholes.

Progress

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