BILL C-373
"Under current Canadian Laws written in 1895...the maximum fine is 6 months jail sentence and a two thousand dollar fine with a possible two year ban on owning another animal." "Bill C-373 , An Act to amend the Criminal Code in respect of cruelty to animals. Its intention is to target those who knowingly or recklessly cause unnecessary pain, suffering or injury to an animal or cause pain or injury through criminally negligent conduct." The changes that Bill C-373 introduces to current Criminal Code provisions will:
• Move animals out of the property part of the Code and into a new part created just for animal cruelty offences;
• Make it illegal to brutally or viciously kill animals;
• Raise the penalty for intentional cruelty to a maximum of five years' imprisonment, up from the current six month penaltly;
• Give judges the authority to raise the fine for summary convictions to $10,000 from the current maximum fine of $2,000;
• Allow crimes of killing, harming or neglecting any species of animal to be charged as an indictable offence or punished by summary conviction. In the current Criminal Code, only crimes against cattle are considered an indictable offence carrying a maximum prison term of five years. Crimes against all other animals are currently punishable by summary conviction, which carries a maximum prison term of six months;
• ALLOW FOR A LIFETIME PROHIBITION ON FUTURE ANIMAL OWNERSHIP (up from the current maximum of two years) and a minimum of five-year prohibition for second or subsequent offences; and
• Allow judges to order anyone convicted of cruelty to animals to pay restitution (such as veterinary bills and shelter costs) to the animal welfare organization that subsequently cared for the animal(s).
BILL C-373
"Under current Canadian Laws written in 1895...the maximum fine is 6 months jail sentence and a two thousand dollar fine with a possible two year ban on owning another animal." "Bill C-373 , An Act to amend the Criminal Code in respect of cruelty to animals. Its intention is to target those who knowingly or recklessly cause unnecessary pain, suffering or injury to an animal or cause pain or injury through criminally negligent conduct." The changes that Bill C-373 introduces to current Criminal Code provisions will:
• Move animals out of the property part of the Code and into a new part created just for animal cruelty offences;
• Make it illegal to brutally or viciously kill animals;
• Raise the penalty for intentional cruelty to a maximum of five years' imprisonment, up from the current six month penaltly;
• Give judges the authority to raise the fine for summary convictions to $10,000 from the current maximum fine of $2,000;
• Allow crimes of killing, harming or neglecting any species of animal to be charged as an indictable offence or punished by summary conviction. In the current Criminal Code, only crimes against cattle are considered an indictable offence carrying a maximum prison term of five years. Crimes against all other animals are currently punishable by summary conviction, which carries a maximum prison term of six months;
• ALLOW FOR A LIFETIME PROHIBITION ON FUTURE ANIMAL OWNERSHIP (up from the current maximum of two years) and a minimum of five-year prohibition for second or subsequent offences; and
• Allow judges to order anyone convicted of cruelty to animals to pay restitution (such as veterinary bills and shelter costs) to the animal welfare organization that subsequently cared for the animal(s).
