Task Force on Companion Animal Welfare Table of Contents
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REPORT « Moving Towards a Genuine Companion Animal Welfare Network » Photographies : Marc Lajoie, Étienne Boucher et Éric Labonté, MAPAQ. Photographies : Marc Task Force on 09-0138A Companion Animal Welfare Submitted to Mr. Claude Béchard Member for Kamouraska-Témiscouata Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Minister Responsible for Canadian Intergovernmental Affairs and the Reform of Democratic Institutions Deputy Government House Leader Minister Responsible for the Bas-Saint-Laurent Region REPORT september 2009 Task Force on Companion Animal Welfare Table of Contents Introduction.........................................................................................................3 Background...........................................................................................................3 Mandate................................................................................................................4 Organization of this Report ...................................................................................4 Task Force Members ..........................................................................................5 Summary of Deliberations..................................................................................6 First Meeting .........................................................................................................6 Second Meeting....................................................................................................6 Third Meeting........................................................................................................7 Fourth Meeting......................................................................................................7 A Few Statistics ..................................................................................................8 2008 Highlights .....................................................................................................8 Animal Welfare Laws and Regulations .............................................................9 Overview...............................................................................................................9 Concerns ..............................................................................................................9 Solutions Suggested by Members of the Task Force..........................................11 “Puppy Mills” ....................................................................................................12 Overview.............................................................................................................12 Concerns ............................................................................................................13 Solutions Suggested by Members of the Task Force..........................................14 ANIMA-Québec..................................................................................................15 Overview.............................................................................................................15 Concerns ............................................................................................................16 Solutions Suggested by Members of the Task Force..........................................17 Funding..............................................................................................................18 Overview.............................................................................................................18 Concerns ............................................................................................................18 Solutions Suggested by Members of the Task Force..........................................19 Overpopulation of Abandoned or Undesired Animals ..................................20 Overview.............................................................................................................20 Concerns ............................................................................................................20 Solutions Suggested by Members of the Task Force..........................................20 Chairman’s Point of View.................................................................................22 Recommendations to the Minister ..................................................................25 Conclusion ........................................................................................................27 Appendix 1.........................................................................................................28 List of Task Force Participants and Organizations Represented ........................28 Appendix 2.........................................................................................................29 Overview.............................................................................................................29 2 Introduction Background Various events in 2008 demonstrated how important companion animal welfare is to Quebecers. The news media reported on unacceptable living conditions for certain animals, particularly dogs, in what are generally referred to as “puppy mill.” Fairly or not, Québec is often singled out as a haven for such substandards dog breeding operations. Protests were held in front of the offices of the Ministère de l’Agriculture, des Pêcheries et de l’Alimentation (MAPAQ) and Premier Jean Charest. Mr. Geoffrey Kelley, member for Jacques-Cartier, and Kathleen Weil, member for Notre- Dame-de-Grâce and Minister of Justice, met with organizers of a 55,000 name petition to condemn animal abuse. The government is aware that new, concrete action must be taken to improve companion animal welfare and restore Québec’s tarnished image in this area. In Québec, enforcement of the provisions on animal safety and welfare in the Animal Health Protection Act (R.S.Q., c. P-42), in effect since January 2005 for dogs and cats, has been entrusted to ANIMA-Québec (Association nationale d’intervention pour le mieux-être des animaux du Québec) by the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. Certain Societies for the Protection of Animals (SPAs) and Societies for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCAs), as well as police departments are also involved in animal welfare through the enforcement of the Criminal Code. Municipalities also have the power to regulate animal nuisances, welfare, and control within municipal boundaries. Many people, however, feel that these efforts are not yielding sufficient results and that companion animal welfare is still too often being in jeopardy. 3 Mandate Given the many voices calling for improved companion animal welfare in Québec, it seemed important to bring stakeholders together to develop a concerted strategy for action. As a result, the Task Force on Companion Animal Welfare, chaired by Geoffrey Kelley, Member for Jacques-Cartier, was established with the following mandate: Examine the various issues involving companion animals, in particular that of “puppy mills,” in order to propose possible collaborative solutions and develop a synergy among the various organizations involved in dog and cat welfare in Québec. Organization of this Report This report is the product of the task force’s deliberations. It begins by describing the group’s composition and the work accomplished. It then presents certain statistics to draw up an overview of the Québec situation. The heart of the document is a status report on the situation. The main concerns expressed during group discussions, as well as in documents and E-mails received from the participants, have been grouped by category: animal welfare laws and regulations, “puppy mills”, ANIMA-Québec, funding, and the overpopulation of abandoned or undesired animals. For each subject, the report presents an overview of the situation, lists the main concerns, and outlines some of the solutions proposed by task force members. The report concludes with the observations and recommendations made by the chair on the basis of task force discussions and the various documents and E-mails submitted during the course of deliberations. The chair also drew on contributions from other individuals and organizations who offered their comments and suggestions upon learning of the creation of the task force. We emphasize that the purpose of this report is not to present a comprehensive portrait of all that was discussed, but to provide readers with a general overview. 4 Task Force Members In order to foster collaboration and broaden partnerships among various companion animal welfare stakeholders in Québec and ensure contributions from a majority of interested individuals, the task force was composed of over thirty members. Appendix 1 presents a complete list of participants and their respective organizations. We wish to thank all those who participated, together with their organizations, for making themselves available and for providing such a wealth of insights. Their contributions are essential to the success of such a process as well as in implementing actions aimed at improving the welfare of companion animals in Québec. We would also like to gratefully acknowledge the tremendous contributions of representatives of Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (known in French as the MAPAQ) in organizing all the task force’s work, in particular the contributions of Dr. Madeleine Fortin, Dr. Nathalie Hébert, Me Gabrielle Bernard, and Mrs Lilie Jacques. 5 Summary of Deliberations The task force met four times