With family pets holding a special place in people’s hearts, Sudbury federal Conservative candidate Ian Symington is supporting laws to protect them.
“With the surge in pet ownership, especially during the pandemic, comes concerns of unethical breeding and animal abuse,” he said in a media release. “Sadly, there is a correlation between cruelty to animals and violence towards people, so it’s important that (Conservative Leader) Erin O’Toole is adding animal cruelty as an aggravating factor in domestic violence prosecutions.”
The Conservative Party of Canada has pledged the following:
• Ban puppy mills and stop imports of animals bred inhumanely.
• Strength the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s ability to enforce current regulations and seize animals when imported under poor welfare conditions.
• Ban cosmetic testing on animals.
• Add animal cruelty as an aggravating factor in domestic violence prosecutions to go after abusers who hurt their spouse by hurting their pet.
• Support pet owners fleeing violence by working with the sector to ensure there are better options for women to leave abusive homes without having to abandon their pets.
• Provide $10 million a year to train judges and prosecutors on the links between violence against animals and violence against people.
• Work with Council of Ministers of Education to promote animal welfare education as part of a child’s education on the environment and sustainability.
