*Please ask at least two more people to add their signatures to this very ground-breaking petition!*
%u201CThe greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated%u201DMahatma Gandi
It is about time Canada amends the constitution and steps up and provides national protection for all animals including lab animals.
Canada needs to ensure animal abusers are severely charged with an indictable offense which befits the crime; no more allowing heinous crimes to occur towards animals and the abusers get nothing more than a slap on the wrists.
This petition is about recognizing Canada's need for growth. To that end, including animal rights and anti- animal cruelty laws in the Canadian Constitution and or The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms would be a tremendous way to show how we are growing as a nation by encoding protection and rights for all animals, federally.
There are some countries in the world that are working for change in the area of federal animal rights protection. Countries like Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Holland, Japan and Sweden all have started to move toward a more enlightened consciousness and have created national laws protecting their animals.
However, even though many countries say it is a felony to act in a cruel manner towards an animal, their laws are not reflective of this and are in fact, quite lenient. In the U.K, jail time for acts of animal cruelty are a maximum of 51 weeks, that's it. Additionally, police are more times than not quite hesitant to enforce these laws.
In 2002, in Toronto, two vile, cretins, who were art students at OCAD, were found guilty of torturing a cat to death in an "art project" which they videotaped. The video tape was screened as a "film" at The Toronto International Film Festival!! The video was entered into evidence. The judge, Ted Ormston , thought the crime could have been worse because the cat was "only" tortured for about 10 to 17 minutes, and therefore didn't justify a "maximum" penalty for animal abuse. Maximum meaning only 2-2 1/2 years jail time, not even prison time.
The judge was quoted as saying, that the skinning alive of the kitty was
"not the worst offense possible." He went on to say, "There are worse ways that this cat could have died." Animal rights activists posthumously dubbed the kitty "Kensington", for the area of Toronto where he came from.
Judge Ormston's sentencing was excessively lenient. One of the torturers was allowed to serve his sentence during weekends; a sentence lasting for only 90 days, while the second walked free because of time served during the trial.
This is an horrific testament to how little animals are regarded, especially in the eyes of the law!
We the undersigned demand that the government of Canada and the Prime Minister's office update Canada's antiquated animal protection laws to ensure that all animals are protected by creating tough legislation that guarantees all crimes towards animals are fully prosecuted under the constitution, including animal testing!
