The federal government has introduced two new pieces of legislation that will raise the ire of farmers, landowners, hunters and anglers. Bill C-17 will amend the criminal code to provide greater penalties to those who harm animals. The other, Bill C-33 is designed to protect species at risk in Canada.

So what do these two pieces of legislation have in common? They both have the potential to make criminals out of law abiding farmers, landowners, hunters and anglers.

Bill C-17 may have good intentions by appearing to protect abuse and cruelty to domestic pets. However, it could have a great impact on people who harvest animals for a living. The way Bill C-17 is worded, criminal charges could be laid against anyone who causes some type of pain to an animal. For example under what is called "animal care provisions", criminal charges must be made when there is any pain, suffering or injury to an animal. Currently the criminal code prohibits "unnecessary" pain. Common sense tells us by removing the word "unnecessary" could open up a whole area for lawyers and bureaucrats to harass us all. As some have pointed out, even putting a worm on a hook could become a problem for fishermen or de-horning cattle could become a problem for ranchers.

Proponents of the legislation claim farmers, hunters and anglers should not have to worry about being charged under the new legislation. But the fact the bill is so vague leaves a huge loophole for groups that disagree with the harvesting of animals to persue the issue in court. People that work with animals for a living should be concerned.

The Canadian Alliance will be proposing amendments to the legislation to close those loopholes and make sure legitimate animal practices are not subject to prosecution.

The other law, Bill C-33 is supposed to protect species at risk in Canada. Unfortunately when you get to the actual working of the legislation it falls short of preserving the environment or protecting endangered species.

The two inherent problems with Bill C-33 are that it does not provide adequate compensation for landowners that have to take their land out of production due to an endangered species on their property. Second, there is no incentive for farmers to protect species at risk. Instead, there are serious penalties for landowners that do not protect the endangered animals.

Under Bill C-33, compensation for landowners will be based on what federal bureaucrats consider as fair. Without assurances of fair market value for the land, endangered species could be put at greater risk by the introduction of this legislation.

When similar legislation in the United States was introduced, private landowners took up the "shoot, shovel and shut up" tactic. Landowners even cut down trees to make their property unattractive for endangered species. If Bill C-33 comes into effect here, some landowners will ensure that an endangered species is never found on their property.

The government is also using the big stick approach in protecting species at risk. Corporations could be fined up to 1 million dollars and their officials could go to jail for five years. Individuals could face fines of $250,000 and five years in jail. Instead of creating legislation that uses a carrot instead of a stick to enlist the support of private landowners, the government has taken the approach of forcing people to accept this. The result is endangered species will not be protected by this new legislation.

Both of these bills are unnecessary because we already have dozens of provincial and federal laws in these areas. We have to really ask why are they being proposed? They will fill up our courts with cases that target legitimate pursuits. One should also ask questions about the philosophy that motivates this legislation. I challenge everyone to examine it carefully as it could have a major impact on agriculture and sporting activities.

Bill C-17 and Bill C-33 have serious consequences for our farmers, ranchers, hunters and anglers. I encourage anyone who has concerns to write me or write the Ministers responsible for the legislation and send me a copy.

Bill C-17 Write to:

Minister of Justice, The Honourable Anne McLellan

House of Commons

Ottawa, ON

K1A 0A6

Bill C-33 Write to:

Minister of Environment, The Honourable David Anderson

House of Commons

Ottawa, ON

K1A 0A6

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