Rally intends to make animal suffering an election issue

Charleswood

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 06/09/2023 (731 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A group of animal rights advocates have taken it upon themselves to educate — and hopefully influence — politicians on how woefully inadequate animal protection laws are in Canada, and in particular Manitoba. They will be doing so in the form of a rally on Saturday, Sept. 23 at 2 p.m. on the west side of the Legislative Building. Debbie Wall, who initiated the Vote Animal Rally, encourages anyone who has a passion for animal rights to attend.

It is no coincidence that the timing of the rally coincides with the upcoming provincial election. Being surrounded by like-minded people who are frustrated at being ignored by politicians may help to bring this issue forward.

“It is time to make animal protection an election issue,” Wall said.

Wall came up with the idea for the rally after speaking at a Winnipeg Humane Society rally in 2022 about the federal government breaking a promise to end the export of live horses for slaughter. She wondered if the WHS had any plans to highlight animal rights in the upcoming election. She contacted the Animal Compassion Team, and Jenna Stacey and Brittany Semeniuk offered to co-organize the rally. They met in mid-July to begin planning the Vote Animal Rally.

Canada has some of the weakest animal protection laws in the developed world, Wall said. Manitoba’s Animal Care Act does not even provide for what are called “The Five Freedoms” — freedom from hunger and thirst, freedom from discomfort, freedom from pain, injury and disease, freedom to express normal behavior and freedom from fear and distress. In particular, this applies to animals used in a long list of so-called “accepted activities” which are exempt from standard industry practices, she points out, adding that animals are the largest group of oppressed.

At the rally, speakers from a number of Manitoba animal rights/welfare/rescue groups will be talking about their front-line experiences, how they are negatively impacted by policy, and what kind of support they need to do what is arguably the government’s work, Wall states.

The leaders of all parties running in our upcoming provincial election will be invited, as well as the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs. Not to speak, but to listen and learn, she adds.

Speakers at the Vote Animal Rally will include: Vicki Burns (Hog Watch); Twyla Francois (animal research investigator with Animal Alliance of Canada. Before joining AAC, Twyla’s role included Head of Investigations for Canadians for Ethical Treatment of Farmed Animals); Lori Cohen (The Beagle Alliance); Lori-Ann Peach (Paws for a Cause, feral cat rescue in rural Manitoba); Colleen Walker (The Little Red Barn); Jonas Watson, DVM (owner of Grant Park Animal Hospital, speaking about overpopulation of dogs in north); Brittany Semeniuk (WHS’s Animal Compassion Team); Kaitlynn Mitchell (Animal Justice); and Kim Lyons and Corinne Nykorak (Blackbird Ranch Equine Rescue).

Each presenter will be speaking for five to 10 minutes, and if there is time, the mic will be open to anyone who wants to speak.

Wall points to the quote from Mahatma Gandhi to emphasize the need for better animal protection laws: “The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.” Clearly we aren’t doing well, and our society needs a significant upgrade.

Show your support for changes in protection laws by attending the rally on Sept. 23 and through your vote.