National animal abuse registry
Sign on the House of Commons websitePetitioners ask the House of Commons to create a national public registry of individuals convicted of serious animal abuse, strengthen Criminal Code penalties and impose escalating ownership bans, and fund enforcement, rehoming safeguards and risk-assessments.
Why we would sign this petition
- Creates a national, searchable record to help identify convicted abusers, support monitoring, and reduce risk of repeat offences.
- Tougher Criminal Code penalties and escalating ownership bans would increase accountability and may deter serious or repeat offenders.
- More funding, training and forensic resources plus rehoming safeguards and risk assessments would strengthen investigations, prosecutions and safer animal placements.
Why we wouldn’t sign this petition
- A public registry and lifetime bans raise legal and privacy concerns about proportionality, rehabilitation and potential misuse.
- Implementing national measures requires provincial and territorial cooperation, creating complexity and uneven application across jurisdictions.
- Expanded enforcement, training and rehoming programs carry costs and trade-offs with other public priorities, and may need clearer funding sources.
The summary and both sets of reasons are AI-generated from the petition and given equal weight. Claims are the petitioners’ own; consult the official record for the full text.
Official petition
Petition to the House of Commons Serious animal cruelty, sexual abuse of animals, torture and intentional killing cause immense suffering; Existing protections and consequences may not adequately prevent repeat offences or protect animals from convicted offenders; and Stronger accountability, enforcement and prevention measures are needed across Canada. We, the undersigned, citizens or residents of Canada, call upon the House of Commons to: 1. Establish a national, publicly searchable registry of individuals convicted of serious animal abuse offences; 2. Strengthen Criminal Code penalties for serious animal cruelty offences, including encouraging prosecution by indictment where appropriate and meaningful custodial sentences that reflect the severity of the offence; 3. Introduce escalating penalties and long-term or lifetime animal ownership and access bans for serious and repeat offenders; 4. Work with provinces and territories to establish responsible animal rehoming safeguards, including adopter screening and formal agreements; 5. Increase funding, specialized training and forensic resources for animal cruelty investigations and prosecutions; 6. Establish appropriate psychological risk assessments and information-sharing frameworks to address credible risks to children, vulnerable individuals and public safety; and 7. Work with provincial and territorial governments to strengthen animal seizure powers, enforcement and animal welfare protections across Canada.
Government response
No government response is available yet.