Queens Park quashes bill to reform OSPCA enforcement powers

Thursday, March 29, 2012

by SUSAN MANN

Jack MacLaren’s private member’s bill to curb the enforcement powers of the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals was defeated during its second reading vote in Ontario’s Legislature Thursday.

MacLaren, the Progressive Conservative MPP for Carleton-Mississippi Mills, says it was a pretty close vote and he is disappointed. “We wanted it to pass and so did all of our supporters.”

Ontario Agriculture Minister Ted McMeekin voted against Bill 47. It would force the provincial agriculture ministry to spend an additional $4 to $6 million a year while delivering less and that doesn’t include added costs to municipalities, the police and courts, which could be as high as $15 million, he says in Hansard, the official verbatim report of debates in the provincial legislature.

“No one wants the government to spend money ineffectively but that’s what Bill 47 would require,” he says. The bill would have significantly reduced the ability of veterinarians to report abuse and neglect, he adds.

MacLaren say that’s not true. “He was in error on that point. We didn’t change any of the Act as it pertains to looking out for the animal’s welfare or stopping their abuse or neglect.”

All they were concerned about is “how is the law enforced and who’s enforcing it and are they qualified and properly trained,” he says, noting he’ll try again to introduce a bill at a later date.

McMeekin says there may be ways to improve the current OSPCA Act or its implementation and he’s committed “to pursuing this dialogue with our farmers.”

Tom Black, president of the Ontario Landowners Association, is disappointed Bill 47 didn’t pass second reading and get sent to committee for review. “I’m flabbergasted we couldn’t get three parties to agree on something as simple as fixing the OSPCA.”

Passing the second reading of the bill “would have put it in committee stage where everyone could have had a whack at it to try and make it better,” he says.

Black was at the legislature Thursday for a rally supporting the bill and to watch the outcome of voting.

 MacLaren says about 75 people turned out for the rally outside of the Ontario Legislature to support the bill. There was also a rally opposing the bill. Black says there were about 25 mostly young girls off to the side in opposition.

“I wouldn’t have been too worried if it didn’t pass third reading,” Black says, noting private members’ bills aren’t usually successful. But sending the bill to committee would have brought the matter to the forefront to study “where we go with this and how we fix it. That would have put some pressure on getting it fixed.”

Black notes MacLaren’s bill wasn’t too drastic and just proposed putting the OSPCA leadership under government authority so there could be accountability. Currently “there’s no accountability,” he explains. “They’re absolutely independent of government. They’re a charity with police powers.”

During Thursday’s debate, Black says all MPPs there agreed there’s a problem with the OSPCA and it needs to be fixed. But by defeating the bill at second reading some politicians are saying they’re not going to fix it, he notes.

In an earlier interview, MacLaren said he thought the bill had a chance of passing second reading and would be sent to committee for review because the Liberals have a minority government. His proposed Bill 47 was a reworked version of an earlier bill he introduced that many farmers and municipal representatives said wouldn’t work.

Alison Cross, OSPCA senior manager of marketing and communications, couldn’t be reached for comment.  BF