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A new bill has been passed by the Senate of Canada that means animal abusers can now be found guilty of new federal offenses related to bestiiality and animal fighting.
The BC SPCA has announced that Bill C-84 is now law, offering better protection for animals.
Bill C-84 amends section 160 of the Criminal Code to broaden the definition of bestiality to include any contact for a sexual purpose with an animal.
This broader definition of bestiality closes a legal loophole highlighted in a 2016 case where Canada’s Supreme Court ruled that evidence of penetration was required for charges to be laid.
Under the updated legislation, anyone convicted of bestiality would be added to Canada’s National Sex Offenders Registry and can be banned from owning animals.
"Many studies have proven a clear link between animal abuse and child abuse, so adding convicted animal abusers to the National Sex Offenders Registry protects children as well as animals." Barbara Cartwright, CEO of Humane Canada, said in response to the new bill.
The legislation also cracks down on animal fighting.
The changes include making it an offence to build and maintain an arena for the purposes of animal fighting.
The BC SPCA said It also addresses the “historic flaws” in the Criminal Code’s animal fighting provisions by removing the requirement for a perpetrator to attend a fight in person.
The law now applies to anyone who “in any manner encourages, aids, promotes, arranges, assists, receives money for or takes part in the fighting or baiting of animals.”
The bill has been more than three years in the making. The SPCA says that, after the bill became stalled at two points during the process, more than 18,000 actions were taken by animal lovers in B.C. to make sure it was passed.
“These changes make it clear that any sexual contact with an animal is a serious crime and ensures that abusers are banned from owning animals, which will prevent them from causing further harm,” said Shawn Eccles, BC SPCA senior manager, cruelty investigations.
Humane Canada adds that in addition to Bill C-84 being passed today, Bill S-203, known as Canada’s Free Willy Law, and Bill C-68, which ends Canada’s Shark fin trade, are both likely to receive Royal Assent later this week.
"Canada has never had a more animal friendly Parliament than today's," said Cartwright. "It has significantly advanced animal welfare – signalling a pronounced shift in the way Canadians think about animal protection.