A groundbreaking new private member’s bill has just been introduced in the House of Commons that aims to finally ban the live export of horses for slaughter.
Liberal MP Tim Louis tabled Bill C-355 on September 19, 2023. Canada ships thousands of live horses by air to Japan every year, where they are slaughtered and eaten as sashimi—a delicacy for the rich. This cruel practice has been widely condemned by Canadians, and should have been outlawed long ago.
The federal Liberal Party committed to banning live horse exports for slaughter in its platform during the last election. The promise was followed by a mandate letter in December 2021 from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, to then-Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Marie-Claude Bibeau in which she was instructed to to fulfill the promise and end live horse exports.Â
But the government has continued to drag its feet, even after 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 of this Parliament. To this day, Canadian horses continue to be shipped to their deaths overseas.
When horses are subjected to live export, they endure unimaginable mental distress and physical discomfort. Sensitive draft horses are packed together into wooden crates and are denied food, water, and rest for the entire duration of the journey. The legal time limit for live horse exports is a shocking 28 hours without food, water, and rest, but in some instances, the shipments have gone even longer. Horses have been known to fall down, become seriously injured, and even die en route to Japan.
These horses are bred specifically for meat, raised in feedlots, and exported from airports in Alberta and Manitoba.
Second Bill Introduced to Ban Live Horse Exports
On June 21, 2023, Senator Pierre Dalphond and Canadian icon Jann Arden joined forces to announce Senator Dalphond’s Bill S-270, the Horse Protection Act, which would cruel live horse exports.
Both Senator Dalphond and Jann Arden have been champions in the movement to protect horses from this horrific industry, and have used their platforms to oppose horse exports and push for much-needed change in recent years.
With two bills now in play—one in the Senate and one in the House of Commons— Canada has a tremendous opportunity to finally end these nightmare flights to Japan. Both pieces of legislation deserve widespread support from Canadians and politicians and offer hope to the innocent horses who continue to suffer in this vile and needless industry. Take action now to protect horses and ensure the law is changed quickly before more horses suffer and die!
Banner: Canadian Horse Defence Coalition
