P.C. Government will enact MPP’s Pet Abuse Bill - Tory
(Brockville) - Ontario Progressive Conservative Leader John Tory yesterday announced that a PC government will introduce legislation to strengthen pet abuse laws based upon a Private Members’ Bill introduced by Leeds-Grenville MPP Bob Runciman earlier this year. That Bill died when Premier Dalton McGuinty abruptly ended the legislative session three weeks before its scheduled closing.
“This is great news,” said Runciman. “There’s no question that people who abuse their pet cat or dog should face much tougher penalties.”
The MPP’s bill, introduced in the wake of a series of publicized incidents of pet abuse, including the removal of a dog’s ears to make the animal look “scarier”, will allow the courts to impose jail terms up to two years less a day, fines up to $60,000 and up to a lifetime ban on pet ownership.
“Decent people have been horrified by the cruelty inflicted on innocent creatures while Dalton McGuinty has refused to act,” said Tory. “Mr. McGuinty has had four years to fix this problem but has shown absolutely no leadership on the issue.”
