Breaking the Chain: Canada’s New Bill, Bill C-16, Exposes the Violence Link
Across Canada, animals are being used as instruments of fear, tools of coercion, and targets of violence. Our laws have not kept pace with the reality victims face.
Whether through physical harm, threats, or the online circulation of cruelty images, animals are being exploited in ways that endanger both their lives and the safety of the people who love them.
For years, the connection between violence against animals and violence against people has been well documented, yet not fully reflected in Canadian law. Survivors, children, and companion animals have continued to face harm because of gaps in protection. The introduction of Bill C-16, the Protecting Victims Act, marks a pivotal moment in addressing these longstanding issues.
The Challenge
Violence against animals and violence against people are deeply connected, a reality that Canadian law has not fully recognized.
Companion animals are frequently harmed, threatened, or used as leverage in situations of intimate partner violence, child exploitation, and criminal harassment. Abusers often use animals to intimidate, silence, and control victims, creating significant barriers for people who are trying to flee dangerous situations or seek help.
Without laws that acknowledge this connection, both people and animals have remained vulnerable, and critical warning signs of escalating violence have gone unaddressed.
The Solution
The Government of Canada has taken an important step by introducing Bill C-16. Announced by Justice Minister Sean Fraser, this legislation directly addresses the violence link and strengthens protection for those most at risk.
Criminalizing the Distribution of Animal Sexual Abuse Images
Bill C-16 makes it a criminal offence to distribute images of animal sexual abuse. This disrupts a known pathway used to groom and exploit children and reduces the spread of harmful content online.
Recognizing Animals as Victims and Tools of Coercion
The bill also creates an offence of coercion and control of an intimate partner, including protection for animals under two of the three patterns of conduct listed. It would also amend Criminal Code section 264(2)(d), criminal harassment, to include threats against animals in a person's care. This ensures that when an abuser harms or threatens an animal as a means of control or further harassment, the law recognizes that behaviour as a form of criminal harassment.
ADD YOUR VOICE
Bill C-16 is a crucial step toward protecting children, survivors, and animals, but it is not yet law. For these new protections to take effect, the bill must move through Parliament and that process depends on public support.
Your voice can help ensure that decision-makers understand the urgency of addressing the violence link. When Canadians speak up, elected officials are more likely to prioritize legislation, advance it through committee, and vote in favour of stronger protections.
Adding your voice is one of the most effective ways to show that this issue matters, that these gaps must be closed, and that vulnerable people and animals cannot wait any longer for meaningful change.
Urge your Member of Parliament to support Bill C-16. Together, we can break the chain of violence and build safer communities for people and animals across the country.
The Future You Can Help Build
A safer Canada is possible, one where children, survivors, and animals are protected, and where the early warning signs of violence are recognized and acted upon. Bill C-16 moves us closer to that future, but its promise will only be realized if the legislation becomes law.
For years, Humane Canada and our Member organizations have worked to bring national attention to the violence link, advance research, support justice professionals, and push for stronger protections. Bill C-16 reflects the progress of this collective effort, but the next step depends on the voices of people across the country.
By speaking up, you help build a future where:
• Animals are no longer used as tools of intimidation and control
• Children are shielded from online exploitation that uses animal abuse as a gateway
• Survivors can seek safety without fearing for the animals in their care
• Communities and justice systems respond earlier and more effectively to signs of escalating harm
• The law finally recognizes the full reality of how violence operates within families
This is the future that your voice can help bring to life.
