An important bill aiming to end the live export of Canadian horses to Japan for slaughter has passed the House of Commons Agriculture Committee, and will soon move on to the next phase of the legislative process!
On Thursday, April 18, Bill C-355 successfully passed a vote in committee, and has progressed to the report stage, where the committee reports its findings back to the House of Commons. After that, Members of Parliament will have a vote on the bill, and it will hopefully move on to the Senate..
Every year, Canada raises thousands of horses in barren feedlots and ships them by air from Winnipeg, Edmonton and Calgary to Japan, where they are fattened, slaughtered, and eaten as a raw delicacy.
During the flights, the terrified horses endure heartbreaking suffering. They are confined to tiny wooden crates and denied food, water, and rest for the entire duration of the trip—which legally can be up to 28 hours, although some shipments have illegally gone longer. Over the years, there have been several reports of horses collapsing, becoming injured, and even dying en route.
Animal Justice and partner groups have been at the forefront of the fight to end the practice. We’ve been on the ground documenting the shipments, mobilizing public support, working closely with lawmakers, and we testified at the Agriculture Committee in support of the bill.
Canadians Condemn Live Horse Exports
Canadians are widely against shipping live horses to Japan for slaughter, and the movement to stop the practice has gained significant traction in recent years. The governing Liberals included a ban on live horse exports in their 2021 election platform, but for years the cruel practice continued.
In 2023, a federal e-petition calling on the government to make good on its promise gathered over 36,000 signatures—making it the third-largest petition in that session of Parliament.
In September 2023, Liberal MP Tim Louis tabled private member’s Bill C-355 to end live horse export for slaughter. In June 2023, Senator Pierre Dalphond and Canadian icon Jann Arden joined forces to introduce Senate Bill S-270, the Horse Protection Act, which also aims to ban live horse exports.
Animal Justice will keep fighting to ban this practice forever. Join our mailing list to stay updated on how you can help protect these sensitive, majestic animals from being shipped overseas for slaughter.
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