The House of Commons has passed legislation banning animal rights protesters from trespassing on farms.
Conservative MP John Barlow, who represents the rural Foothills riding in southwest Alberta, sponsored Bill C-275 “An Act To Amend The Health Of Animals Act.”
“These groups encourage unlawful behaviour,” Mr. Barlow said during the third reading debate on Nov. 29.
“I talked to a producer in Saskatchewan and she does not feel safe to send her children out to fix fences by themselves because of the perceived risk from protesters,” he added. “These are actual things happening on farms today where in rural Canada our family farms do not feel safe.”
The act was passed by a 278 to 36 vote, as first reported by Blacklock’s Reporter, with 13 Liberals, 21 NDP, and both Green MPs voting against it.
The bill bans unauthorized entry to “any building or other enclosed place in which animals are kept” under threat of $25,000 fines or three months’ jail time.
Additionally, animal rights groups that encourage behaviour such as trespassing would be subject to $100,000 fines. The bill would apply to livestock sheds, rodeo pens, and zoos.
“This bill would not hinder in any way an individual’s right to protest on public property,” said Mr. Barlow. “This bill would not prevent whistleblowers from coming forward when they see standards of care not being met.”
The NDP opposed the bill as unconstitutional, with MP Alistair MacGregor saying it was “veering out of its federal laneway and into provincial jurisdiction.”
“If people are concerned with the inadequacy of current trespass law in Canada then I invite them to pressure their provincial representatives because that is where this debate belongs,” said Mr. MacGregor. “If members of this House feel trespass laws are not adequate then it is the provincial legislatures of Canada that need to take that issue up.”
During Oct. 5 testimony at the House of Commons Agriculture Committee, animal rights activists called the bill an agriculture “gag law” meant to silence those critical of the improper treatment of animals and prevent them from recording abuse undercover.
“There are no government inspections of farms to proactively monitor animal welfare,” testified Camille Labchuk, executive director of the non-profit group Animal Justice. ”Provincial agencies tend to respond only if a complaint is made, and no farmer or worker has a legal obligation to report anything they see.”
Ms. Labcuk was asked by Conservative MP Lianne Rood if she was concerned that activists were visiting farms uninvited and potentially putting livestock at risk.
“Animal Justice doesn’t advocate on-farm trespassing,” she replied. “What we’re here today to say is that we have very poor laws protecting animals, and that fact is what’s contributing to this very low public trust in agriculture.”
Bill C-275 will now proceed to the Senate. A similar bill, C-205, was approved by the House of Commons Agriculture Committee in 2021 but lapsed during the last Parliament.
In a 2019 report titled “Mental Health: A Priority For Our Farmers,” the committee recommended Parliament amend the Criminal Code to outlaw “any form of intimidation or cyberbullying” targeting farmers. “When your home is your farm and your farm is your home, it’s an entirely different situation,” Conservative MP Earl Dreeshen told reporters at the time.
