Help Stop Dangerous Legislation that could Stop Whistleblowers from Documenting Conditions on Factory Farms
Image by Fred Lehmann from Pixabay
Your help is needed now. Dangerous legislation that could stop whistleblowers from documenting truthful conditions on factory farms is in the House of Commons and expected to be voted on soon.
A letter from MP Francis Scarpaleggia to one of ADAV’s supporters outlines the issue quite well:
Thank you for your e-mail regarding Bill C-275, An Act to Amend the Health of Animals Act (biosecurity on farms). I have noted your concerns with the underlying intent of the bill and your opposition to its passage.
As you are aware, the bill intends to amend the Health of Animals Act to “make it an offence to enter, without lawful authority or excuse, a place in which animals are kept if doing so could result in the exposure of the animals to a disease or toxic substance that is capable of affecting or contaminating them.” However, there are concerns that the bill is geared more towards deterring animal activism and protest than protecting the health and safety of livestock and other farm animals. Furthermore, there is question of whether the provisions of the bill may be redundant, given that provincial governments have legal provisions to address trespassing, in some cases specifically with respect to trespassing on farms.
As you know, Bill C-275 is a private member’s bill that was introduced in the 43rd Parliament by Conservative Member of Parliament John Barlow and re-introduced by him in the current 44th Parliament. The bill is therefore not government legislation. Private members bills reach the floor of the House of Commons for debate and voting when the individual MP’s turn comes up, which is determined by a lottery system, the only objective way to determine the order of debate when a bill is not sponsored by the government (where the government sets the timetable based on its legislative priorities). Mr. Barlow is number 9 on the Order of Precedence (the chronological list for debating private members’ bills and motions). The bill will therefore likely only be debated in the late fall.
Thank you again for writing to me. I share your concerns about Bill C-275.
Last Chance for Animals (LCA) has created a simple letter writing opportunity to make a difference and ensure this legislation does note go though. It only takes a minute. The letter is pre-written and you can modify it. It does require you to look up your MP. That can easily be done here: click to look up MP
Thank you for all you do!
From email correspondence sent by Francis Scarpaleggia, MP, June 15, 2023 and Last Chance for Animals, June 19, 2023.
