News and Reports

The bill incorporates language Humane Canada proposed, the result of six years of advocacy on behalf of our members. It criminalizes animal sexual abuse images and recognizes that harming or threatening an animal can be used as a tactic of criminal harassment or coercive control, a new offence covering patterns of behaviour used to instill fear and control in a relationship. This is a meaningful step forward in embedding the violence link, the connection between animal abuse and human violence, within federal legislation. Humane Canada appeared before the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights in March to voice our support for the bill.

We had also pushed for provisions addressing the growing creation and distribution of animal cruelty and torture imagery online. While these elements were ultimately considered out of scope for Bill C-16, we'll continue advocating for them to be included in the newly announced Bill C-34, the Safe Social Media Act.

Humane Canada will keep working alongside government policymakers so that people across the legal system, including law enforcement, Crown prosecutors, and judges, understand how animal abuse can show up in relationship violence.