Anti-slaughter bill gains support among Canadians
As volunteers rally to get the 111th US Congress to hear HR 503, our friends in Canada report important support for their bill to end horse slaughter in Canada. Since Canada presently kills over half of all the American horses slaughtered, this news is most welcome.
-John
-----From the Canadian Horse Defense CoalitionAs Parliament
resumes on September 20th, the CHDC is very encouraged by the activity
surrounding Bill C-544. Below is important new information for all to
read, however, we first want to share some interesting news on the bill.
On
September 13th, the Corporation of the Town of Marathon, Ontario unanimously
passed a resolution in support of Bill C-544, which amends the Health of
Animals Act and the Meat Inspection Act to prohibit the importation or
exportation of horses for slaughter for human consumption, and of horse-meat
products for human consumption. Marathon, located on the north shore of Lake Superior,
is the economic hub between Thunder Bay and
Sault Ste. Marie in northern Ontario.
The
CHDC applauds Mayor Dumas and all Council members of Marathon
for their support. The resolution also includes that a copy of the motion
be forwarded to Northwestern Ontario Municipal Assocation (NOMA) requesting
distribution to fellow municipalities seeking support of the resolution.
The CHDC and its members invite other Canadian cities, towns, municipalities, and all
levels of government to lend their backing to Bill C-544: http://www2.parl.gc.ca/HousePublications/Publication.aspx?DocId=4633655&Language=e&Mode=1&File=24.
The CHDC has been hearing from supporters across Canada,
who have been successful in collecting signatures to present to their
MPs. One such diligent advocate in Victoria,
BC has collected over 1,100
signatures! Another avid horse advocate in Vancouver has collected 1,700 signatures
within a 50-mile radius, through pet nutrition stores. She reports that the
greatest support has come from BC's horse community,
"It seems the people most aware of horse slaughter,
are the ones who most want it to stop." A horse rescue in St. Thomas, Ontario
has over 300 signatures. There are many more country-wide examples of
people gaining grass roots support through their petitioning efforts. The
CHDC says a Big Thank You to everyone for their hard work for the horses.
Keep it up!! --- And here are some tips for those gathering petitions ---
We are aware that some MPs may not be supportive of
Bill C-544. It has been
suggested by MP Alex Atamanenko's office, that to ensure your
petitions are accounted for and read in Parliament, ALL petitions can be forwarded to his
office.
We thank fellow animal welfare organization Humane Society International (HSI) for being instrumental
in gathering names and signatures on this bill. Since they already have a
tabulation of many Canada-wide supporters, HSI is assisting to keep track of
all support efforts across the country. After you send in your petitions
to MP Atamanenko, please notify your MP of your actions, and take the time to
write a letter or email to say why you're supporting this bill and the number
of names you've gathered.
Also, please notify HSI how many signatures were gathered,
and in what riding. If you have already sent in your petitions to your
MP, please follow up with them and ask that they be tabled in the House of
Commons. Please notify HSI with details of your petitions. If
you have sent in your petitions or copies to the CHDC, we will ensure they are
tabulated together with the others. By accomplishing this tabulation, we will ensure all
signatures are properly accounted for, and that all petitions get
tabled. Please click on these links to access the new
petitions:
http://www.defendhorsescanada.org/pdf/chdcpetition2010.pdf (English version) or http://www.defendhorsescanada.org/pdf/healthpetitionfr.pdf (French version).
Finally, we are extending the petitioning deadline until
December 31, 2010.
This gives people time to continue communication with their MPs, and gives time
for a second MP to re-introduce the bill in Parliament.
Here is a link to find
your MP:
http://webinfo.parl.gc.ca/MembersOfParliament/MainMPsCompleteList.aspx?TimePeriod=Current&Language=E
Here is contact information for MP Atamanenko and HSI:
MP Alex Atamanenko
337
Columbia Avenue
Castlegar, BC
V1N 1G6
Tel: 250-365-2792
Email: atamaa1@parl.gc.ca
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