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Last week, Montreal Dog Blog contacted 10 local candidates regarding their thoughts on animal cruelty in Quebec. Read and send your own letter here! Our first reply is from Jessica Gal, from the Green Party:
Hello and greetings to all your readers,
First, I would like to thank you for caring enough about this issue to raise it in the context of elections, and keep animal cruelty on the agenda, despite so many failed attempts to get Canadian law up to speed with what most Canadians would consider normal regulation.
I hope you will all take some comfort in knowing that there IS a federal party that takes animal rights and animal protection very seriously; the Green Party is proud to have the most extensive, detailed and progressive policy in this area of any other party. I invite you to see for yourself – I have attached for your information, the entire policy as copied straight out of our policy document, Vision Green. (happy to forward this info to anyone who contacts us at the Dog Blog – Nat)
To address your questions:
I realize our policy does not refer directly to puppy mills, but I think the intent is clear that we would support or bring forward legislation which would make cruelty to animals an office under the criminal code (not a property offence), therefore making it a whole lot riskier for puppy mills to operate.
Gas chamber euthanasia, if deemed inhumane by such credible sources, would then likewise put pounds like G.L. Canine in the category of offenders under such legislation. In the meantime, I would stongly encourage the municipality of Ste-Geneviève to reconsider their choice of contractor through whatever channels of influence I would have access to.
On the question re. pet stores, although I am not an expert, from what I have read I would tend to think that an outright ban on sales of live animals in pet stores would not solve the problem, as people could (and sadly, would) always go somewhere else to find animals for sale on the black market. I believe far stricter regulation would be the key, including stable funding for enforcement of said regulations, in combination with public education campaigns on responsible pet ownership.
Finally, I would definitely support the policy initiatives you mention, as a first step towards effective animal protection in Canada. This is not a partisan issue, but a measure of our humanity.
Best wishes, and thanks again for all your efforts.
Jessica Gal
Candidate for the Green Party in NDG-Lachine
