OTTAWA - The latest version of proposed legislation to combat cruelty to animals by increasing fines and jail time for convicted abusers won easy final approval in the Commons on Wednesday, marking a major breakthrough after a decade of political gridlock over the issue.
The legislation - a private member's bill proposed by Liberal Senator John Bryden - would increase the maximum penalties for animal cruelty to five years in prison and a fine of $10,000, up from the current six months in jail and a $2,000 fine. It now needs only royal assent to become law.
The bill's approval prompted no joy among animal rights' activists. "It's disappointing. It shows that MPs are not listening to their constituents," said Kim Elmslie of the International Fund for Animal Welfare.
Elmslie said her group and others opposed the bill because its narrow focus on penalties is of little value considering less than one per cent of animal abuse investigations result in conviction. Sheila MacDonald, program director for the Canadian Federation of Humane Societies, denounced it as "19th century legislation adjusted for inflation."
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