Table 1.

Features of the major provincial/territorial animal protection laws in Canada. Additional Acts with implications for animal care are included in the “Other requirements” column. Current as of September 2017.

Province or territory and Act	Duties of person responsiblea	Offences and prohibitions	Exemptions to offences	Power to set standards by regulation	Standards referenced	Other requirements
Alberta Animal Protection Act	to provide adequate food, water, care, protection, shelter, ventilation, and space	causing distress Person responsible: causing or permitting distress	if following regulations if following reasonable and generally accepted practices	to develop regulations for animal care to adopt or incorporate published standards, codes, etc.	CCAC guides zoos must comply with published standardsb	regulations for transport, markets, and assembly stations additional regulations under other Actsc
British Columbia Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act	to care for the animal, including protecting the animal from circumstances that are likely to cause distress	causing distress Person responsible: causing or permitting distress animal fighting	if following reasonable and generally accepted practices	to develop regulations for animal care to adopt a regulation, code, etc., set by an organization regarding a regulated activity to require licensing or registration for regulated activities	NFACC dairy cattle code CVMA kennel and cattery codes CVMA Guidelines for Euthanasia of Domestic Animals by Firearms (in Sled Dog Standards of Care Regulations only)	Sled Dog Standards of Care Regulation; Cattery and Kennel Regulations; Dairy Cattle Regulations; Additional regulations under other Actsd
Manitoba Animal Care Act	to provide adequate food, water, medical care, protection from injurious heat or cold, space, sanitation, ventilation, and opportunity for exercise	inflicting acute suffering, injury, harm, anxiety, or distress that significantly impairs health or well-being transporting unfit animals animal fighting other prohibitions	if following standards, codes etc., specified as acceptable, or generally accepted practices, or if treatment is deemed reasonable where suffering/injury/etc. is caused by a process in the course of an accepted activitye	to designate accepted activities to specify standards, codes, etc. as acceptable to prohibit practices to set standards for animal markets, assembly points, retail stores, etc.	NFACC farm animal codes PMU code CCAC guides CVMA kennel and cattery codes PIJACC recommended stocking densities specified euthanasia standardsf other standardsg	standards for circuses and non-domestic species licensing for kennels and companion animal breeding premises and retail stores Animal Care Regulations;
New Brunswick Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act	to provide food, water, shelter, and care in accordance with the regulationsh	failure to comply with regulations animal fighting	if following standards, etc. in Schedule A (NFACC codes) if following generally accepted practices if treatment is reasonable	to specify standards, codes etc. deemed acceptable	NFACC farm animal codes CCAC guides CVMA kennel and cattery codes, plus others for pet establishmentsi Specified euthanasia standardsj	Horse and Pony Hauling Contests Regulations; Pet Establishment Regulations;
Newfoundland and Labrador Animal Health and Protection Act k	none defined	causing distress Owner: permitting distress prohibition of practices for animal transport, fighting, confinement, hitching, tail-docking, ear-cropping, cosmetic surgery of dogs	if the class of animals is exempted from the regulation if animals live as prescribed by regulation in the course of an accepted activity	to prescribe standards for facilities, care, and activities involving animals to prescribe accepted activities and how activities are conducted to prescribe classes of animals covered	NFACC farm animal codes CCAC guides CVMA kennel and cattery codes AVMA Guidelines on Euthanasia Other standardsl	sled dog standards in the Animal Protection Standards Regulations basic standards of dog care Fur Farm Regulations;
Nova Scotia Animal Protection Act	For non-farm animals: to provide adequate food, water, medical attention, protection, space, sanitation, ventilation, and opportunity for exercise	causing distress Person responsible: permitting distress	if following reasonable and generally accepted practices if person responsible takes immediate appropriate steps to relieve the distress	to prescribe standards for facilities and care to define unacceptable practices to define acceptable methods of euthanasia to prescribe or adopt codes to exempt research done under aegis of CCAC	none	Standards of Care for Cats and Dogs Regulations; additional regulations under other Actsm
Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act	to comply with prescribed standards of care	causing distress Person responsible: permitting distress Orca possession or breedingn animal fighting	if following reasonable and generally accepted practices in cases of prescribed classes of animals, prescribed circumstances, or prescribed activitieso	to prescribe standards of care to prescribe activities that constitute reasonable and generally accepted practices	none	standards for food, water, medical care standards for dogs kept outdoors, captive wildlife and primates, marine mammals additional regulations under other Actsp
Ontario Animals for Research Act	to register facilities, file reports, operate an animal care committee, use anesthetics and analgesics	failure to comply with the Act or Regulations	none	to prescribe facilities, transportation, and standards for health, welfare, and care of animals	none	standards for housing, care, and transport of animals used in research facilities standards for dog and cat shelters
Prince Edward Island Animal Welfare Act	to provide adequate food, water, veterinary care, shelter, opportunity for exercise, safe transport	causing or prolonging distress torturing an animal animal fighting cosmetic surgeryq tethering a horse or dog in a way that causes distress loading or unloading an unfit commercial animal	if following reasonable and generally accepted practices if activity is consistent with a standard specified as acceptable in regulations if activity is otherwise reasonable and does not cause unnecessary suffering	to prohibit or restrict activities to adopt standards, manuals, etc.	NFACC farm animal codes PMU code CCAC guides CVMA kennel and cattery codes Sled Dog Code of Practicer PIJACC recommended space requirements specified euthanasia standardss	standards for companion animal retail stores standards for exotic companion animals standards of care for animals at markets and in fairs and exhibitions Circus Animals Regulations;
Quebec Animal Welfare and Safety Act	to provide adequate food, water, suitable living conditions, exercise, protection from excessive heat or cold, proper transport, care when injured, ill, or suffering	causing distress animal fighting transporting or shipping an unfit animal to auction	agricultural, veterinary, teaching, and research activities carried out in accordance with generally recognized rulest	to designate other animals to be included to make compliance with standards and codes mandatory	none	Regulation Respecting the Safety and Welfare of Cats and Dogs; additional regulations under other Actsu
Quebec Animal Health Protection Act	none defined	none defined	none	to regulate the sanitary condition of facilities (stables, vehicles, assembly yards, etc.) to establish sanitary standards for pet shops, pounds, or facilities	none	Regulation Respecting the Sale of Livestock by Auction;
Saskatchewan Animal Protection Act	none defined	causing distress Person responsible: causing or permitting distress	if following standards, etc. prescribed as acceptable if following generally accepted practices	to prescribe acceptable standards or codes, etc. for animal care to prescribe standards for facilities for animals kept for sale, exhibition, etc.	NFACC farm animal codes PMU code CVMA kennel and cattery codes Mush with P.R.I.D.E. Sled Dog Care Manual specified euthanasia standardsv	additional regulations under another Actw
Yukon Animal Protection Act	none defined	causing distress Person responsible: permitting distress	if following reasonable and generally accepted practices if done humanely	to prescribe standards of care for animals kept for sale, hire, or exhibition	none	none

^a“Person responsible” is variously defined as “the owner,” “the person in charge,” “the person who has ownership, possession and control,” “the person who owns or has custody or care,” etc.

^bIn Alberta, zoos operating under a permit issued under the Wildlife Act must comply with the Government of Alberta Standards for Zoos in Alberta.

^cThe Domestic Cervid Industry Regulation under the Livestock Industry Diversification Act; the Egg Farmers of Alberta Marketing Regulations under the Marketing of Agricultural Products Act.

^dThe Game Farm Regulations and the Fur Farm Regulations are under the Animal Health Act; the Meat Inspection Regulations under the Food Safety Act; and relevant Motor Vehicle Act Regulations under the Motor Vehicle Act.

^eIn Manitoba, Section 4(1) of the Act states that “accepted activities” include agricultural use of animals, slaughter, research, pest control and others, provided that these are done in a manner that is consistent with a standard, code, etc. specified as acceptable in the regulations, and that is “consistent with generally accepted practices or procedures for such activities, and that does not cause needless suffering,” or “that is otherwise reasonable in the circumstances and that does not cause needless suffering,” and “is not a practice or procedure specified as prohibited in the regulations.”

^fManitoba lists the following standards for euthanasia: Guidelines for Euthanasia of Domestic Animals by Firearms (CVMA), 1993 Report of the AVMA Panel on Euthanasia and the CCAC Guide to the Care and Use of Experimental Animals.

^gCAFE Animal Safety and Security Manual; Mush with P.R.I.D.E. Sled Dog Care Manual.

^hIn New Brunswick, regulations expand on the duties listed in the Act by requiring that responsible persons provide adequate food, water, medical attention, protection from injurious heat and cold, and that animals in enclosures have adequate space, sanitation, ventilation and opportunity for exercise.

ⁱNew Brunswick’s Pet Establishment Regulation requires licenced kennels to comply with the CVMA kennel code, and animal shelters and pet retail stores to comply with provisions of the CVMA kennel and cattery codes, the PIJACC recommended stocking densities, and 2 standards for exotic pets published by the New Brunswick Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

^jNew Brunswick lists the following standards for euthanasia: AVMA Guidelines for the Euthanasia of Animals: 2013 Edition, Guidelines for Euthanasia of Domestic Animals by Firearms (CVMA), and CCAC Guidelines on: Euthanasia of Animals Used in Science.

^kThe Newfoundland and Labrador Animal Health and Protection Act states that the Act shall be read in conjunction with the Labrador Inuit Land Claims Agreement Act, and the latter will have precedence.

^lCAZA Animal Care and Housing Manual; PIJAC Animal Care Guidelines for the Retail Pet Industry.

^mThe Animal Care Program and On-Farm Food Safety Assurance Program Regulations are under the Natural Products Act and is a Chicken Farmers of Canada program based on the NFACC code; the Meat Inspection Regulations are made under the Meat Inspection Act.

ⁿPossession of an Orca may continue if the person possessed the Orca in Ontario before the Act received Royal Assent.

^oIn Ontario, these exemptions apply to the Requirement to comply with prescribed standards of care (Section 11.1 of the Act), not to the prohibition on causing or permitting distress (Section 11.2).

^pThe Disposal of Deadstock Regulation under the Food Safety and Quality Act; other provisions exist in the Livestock Community Sales Act.

^qCosmetic surgery includes tail-docking dogs, horses, or cattle, tail-nicking for horses, ear-cropping of dogs, and any other prescribed alteration or surgery.

^rPEI refers to the Sled Dog Code of Practice published in 2012 by the Ministry of Agriculture in British Columbia.

^sPEI lists the following standards for euthanasia: AVMA Guidelines for the Euthanasia of Animals: 2013 Edition, provisions related to euthanasia in the CVMA kennel and cattery codes and the NFACC farm animal codes, the CCAC Guidelines on: Euthanasia of Animals Used in Science and the Guidelines for Euthanasia of Domestic Animals by Firearms (CVMA).

^tThis exemption applies to the obligations to protect welfare and safety and the prohibition of causing distress.

^uThe Regulations Respecting Animals in Captivity are under the Act Respecting the Conservation and Development of Wildlife; the Regulations Respecting Food are under the Food Products Act.

^vSaskatchewan lists the following standards for euthanasia: Guidelines for Euthanasia of Domestic Animals by Firearms (CVMA) and the AVMA Guidelines for the Euthanasia of Animals: 2013 Edition.

^wThe Fur Farming Regulations, Domestic Game Farm Animal Regulations, Livestock Dealer Regulations, and the Livestock Inspection and Transportation Regulations are under the Animal Products Act.