Lucy the elephant at the Edmonton Valley Zoo, in Edmonton on March 21, 2023.JASON FRANSON/The Canadian Press
A bid by the Liberal government to ban zoos from keeping elephants and great apes has been quashed by the sudden halt of parliamentary proceedings, to the disappointment of animal-welfare advocates.
The bill sought to prohibit zoos from acquiring or breeding elephants, gorillas, chimpanzees and orangutans.
It was one of 26 government bills yet to pass the parliamentary stages needed to become law when Parliament was prorogued earlier this week. Although the bills could technically be revived with a motion when the House returns in March, the chances of the Liberals getting the support of a majority of MPs for this to happen are considered remote.
Canadian zoos, including African Lion Safari near Hamilton, still keep a number of elephants. There are three elephants at Zoo de Granby in Granby, Que., while Edmonton Valley Zoo has a sole elephant named Lucy, which was brought from Sri Lanka in 1977 and has lived there since she was two.
Lucy turns 50 this year and has been alone since her herd mate, an African elephant, was moved to another facility about 16 years ago to breed. Campaigners say she should be moved somewhere with milder winters to live with other elephants but the zoo says travelling would exacerbate her health problems.
Bill S-15 would phase out keeping elephants and great apes in captivity in Canada, except for conservation or animal welfare purposes, but allow those already in Canadian zoos to remain.
“Unfortunately, the prorogation could create a huge setback for animal protection in this country,” said Michael Bernard, deputy director of Humane Society International/Canada.
A government-backed move to ban the export of live horses to Japan for slaughter to produce an expensive sashimi delicacy has also been halted by the proroguing of Parliament, with animal-welfare advocates fearing it is now dead in its tracks.
Bill C-355, sponsored by Liberal MP Tim Louis, had cleared its Commons stages but had yet to complete its passage through the Senate. It was sharply criticized by Don Plett, leader of the Conservatives in the Senate, who has also raised objections to the bill banning the acquisition of elephants by zoos.
Mr. Plett said the bill concerning zoos “was misguided and harmful and I am very pleased that it has died with prorogation.”
He said he had visited many zoos and “came to the firm conclusion that while Canada needs legislation concerning the welfare of animals in zoos,” Bill S-15 was not the right bill.
“It would not have changed the living conditions of a single great ape or elephant in the country, because every great ape and elephant in Canada is already being held in a zoological institution which has attained the highest standards of accreditation in Canada – standards which are recognized by WAZA, the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums,” he said.
“The real problem in Canada is the ownership of exotic species by private individuals and unaccredited zoos.”
Because the bill banning the export of live horses is a private member’s bill, and was not introduced by the government, it will be revived and could theoretically progress when Parliament returns. Mr. Louis, whose bill is supported by musicians Bryan Adams and Jann Arden, had hoped it would become law before the next election.
Since December, 2021, when the government pledged to end the live export of horses, more than 7,700 horses have been exported from Canada for slaughter overseas, according to the advocacy group Animal Justice. A shipment of live horses in crates left last month from Winnipeg airport.
Kaitlyn Mitchell, director of legal advocacy at Animal Justice, called on the government to step in before the election and bring in a ban using regulations that would not be subject to lengthy deliberations in Parliament.
“Bill C-355 may be on life support, but it’s not too late to save it – or to deliver on the promise another way. As a private member’s bill, it will automatically be reinstated when Parliament resumes, but its chances of passing are slim,” she said.
“Canadians overwhelmingly support ending this cruelty, and time is running out for action. The opportunity is still there – the question is whether the government will seize it.”
A Japanese animal-welfare organization, Life Investigation Agency, obtained official government reports of shipments of horses from Canada, including pregnant mares, in crates, through Japan’s freedom of information laws. The reports said pregnant mares have miscarried and died, while some horses had difficulty standing and fell during flight in the wooden crates. Horses also suffered injuries such as a fractured leg – with some dying on board and in quarantine.
The embassy of Japan said it was closely following the situation in Parliament.
“Japan well recognizes the importance of animal welfare and hopes that the needed trade will continue by transport measures that meet international standards, and we believe that both the Canadian exporters and the Japanese importers care about the appropriate transportation of the horses,” it said in a statement.
A bill prohibiting the trade in elephant ivory and rhino horn in Canada passed last year and is now law.