Dear Editor,
I wish to commend David Fraser, Katherine Koralesky, and Geoff Urton, the authors of “Toward a harmonized approach to animal welfare law in Canada” (Can Vet J 2018;59:293–302) for accomplishing a truly herculean task in summarizing the plethora of animal welfare laws and regulations in Canada. They have captured the essence of the regulatory and legislative challenges, namely: the lack of standardization of terms, the multiplicity of stakeholders, and the absence of a national template to guide provincial legislation. As someone who was formerly responsible for enforcing provincial animal welfare standards, I understand the complexity of creating and modifying legislation and then shepherding it through the legislative agenda within the context of shifting provincial priorities.
Nevertheless, I am encouraged by the progress that I have witnessed over the last number of years. As public interest in animal welfare has increased, provincial and territorial statutes have been modified to address gaps that have come to light. This might have been a somewhat ad hoc process, but I think that over the years there will be a gradual movement towards a more standardized legislative approach as statutes come up for review. A national consultation as suggested by the authors would facilitate this process.
However, there is another important component of animal welfare outside the scope of the paper that also needs to be addressed — the separation of advocacy from enforcement. I see a real conflict of interest when the enforcement of animal welfare laws is delegated to animal welfare advocacy groups, especially those that rely on public donations for their funding. The temptation to create high profile “busts” and then cash in on the resulting public outcry leaves little room for the due process of justice. It is time to end this practice and ensure that animal welfare enforcement is delegated only to government-funded departments and agencies. This will be one of the next major advancements in harmonizing animal welfare outcomes across Canada.