From: brewnoser2@gmail.com   
      
   We need *federal* laws that afford animals - pets or animals raised for food -   
   a high level of regard for their awareness, as well as their care.  These   
   province-by-province bits need to come together as strong Canada-wide laws.   
   __________________________________________________   
      
   By Canadian Press | Dec 4, 2015    
      
   Quebec passes protection law identifying animals as 'sentient beings'   
      
      
   QUEBEC - The Quebec national assembly has passed legislation that better   
   protects animals and defines them as sentient beings.   
      
   Agriculture Minister Pierre Paradis, who spearheaded Bill 54, is hoping it   
   will help transform Quebec from the jurisdiction with some of the least strict   
   animal-welfare rules in North America -- it is considered the puppy-mill   
   capital of the continent --    
   to one with some of the toughest.   
      
   The legislation was adopted by a 109-0 margin on Friday.   
      
   Paradis said earlier this year he was inspired by Manitoba, Ontario and   
   British Columbia, which he noted have the strongest animal-welfare laws in the   
   country.   
      
   He also cited France, which updated its own laws last January to change the   
   status of animals to sentient beings from their prior status of movable   
   property.   
      
   The bill states that "animals are not things. They are sentient beings and   
   have biological needs."   
      
   For many people, that might seem obvious, but until now an animal in Quebec   
   has had the same legal rights as a piece of furniture.   
      
   The Montreal SPCA said Friday it remains cautiously optimistic that Bill 54   
   will help improve the situation of certain species of animals, in particular   
   dogs, cats, horses and animals raised for their fur.   
      
   The organization is also hoping the government will make use of the powers   
   provided for in the law to the bill to promulgate regulations banning the   
   permanent chaining of dogs.   
      
   But the SPCA said the legislation doesn't go far enough.   
      
   "We are thoroughly disappointed that exotic animals as well as many species of   
   wildlife, in captivity, will continue to be excluded from the ambit of   
   Quebec's animal welfare legislation," it said in a statement.   
      
   "These animals remain in desperate need of appropriate legal protection to   
   ensure they are not neglected or abused, particularly when they are exploited   
   for commercial purposes."   
      
   The bill states that animal owners must ensure their pets receive "care that   
   is consistent with (their) biological needs."   
      
   Farm animals don't get the same protection as pets. They must be treated "in   
   accordance with generally recognized rules," the bill reads.   
      
   The legislation also gives inspectors the power to demand to see an animal if   
   they have "reasonable cause" to suspect the pet is being mistreated.   
      
   They can also obtain a warrant from a judge to enter a home and seize animals.   
      
   First-time offenders face fines as low as $250 and as high as $250,000.   
      
   The fines can double and triple for repeat offenders. Judges will have the   
   discretion to sentence serial violators to up to 18 months incarceration.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)