Alistair MacGregor, MP for Cowichan-Malahat-Langford, rose in the House of Commons during question period Thursday to ask that the Minister of Justice honour her 2016 commitment to review the animal cruelty provisions of the Criminal Code.
In what the BC SPCA described as one of the most profoundly shocking and disturbing cases of animal abuse ever witnessed, officers seized a dog from a property in Duncan earlier this year. The dog, named Teddy by the community, was kept in horrendous conditions, and suffered a gruesome and infected wound due to an embedded collar.
“In the fall of 2016, the Minister of Justice made a commitment to review the animal cruelty provisions in the Criminal Code, but 17 months later, we are still waiting,” said MacGregor. “Teddy’s tragic situation is a stark reminder that Canada’s antiquated animal protection legislation needs an overhaul to end the abuse of our domestic pets.
“This past Sunday, United For a Paws hosted a ‘Cowichan Cares’ advocacy event to commemorate Teddy, and bring our community together to both grieve, but also heal from this tragic incident. Residents were united in their call for change to our animal protection laws, and it was an honour for me to be a part of it,” added MacGregor.
“Today, I rose in the House of Commons to demand the government take immediate action to put greater protections in place for animals. The Minister of Justice must follow through on her commitment to strengthen our animal protection legislation to ensure situations like Teddy’s never happen again.”
MacGregor has also written a formal letter to the minister.