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New Westminster can make plant-based food part of its climate plan

  • New Westminster is asking residents and businesses to comment on its draft Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience Plan by May 31. 
  • The draft plan looks at adaption strategies to build resilience into the city’s infrastructure against major climate impacts. Food should be part of that conversation.  
  • By adding plant-based food strategies into their draft plan, New Westminster can take a practical step toward strengthening food resilience by increasing access and affordability and reducing pressure on high-impact food systems.

TAKE ACTION: If you live or operate a business in New Westminster, please take a few minutes to comment on the City’s Draft Plan, encouraging them to consider plant-based foods as part of their strategy.

View the draft plan
Review key sections for comment
Make a quick comment

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New West can build climate resilience through plant-based food.

When people think about preparing a city for climate change, they often picture cooling centres, shaded streets, stronger buildings, flood planning, and emergency response. But resilience is also about everyday needs, including whether people can access affordable, nutritious food when climate impacts disrupt daily life.

New Westminster can help build climate-ready neighbourhoods by supporting increased access to affordable plant-based meals, shelf-stable plant-based proteins, locally sourced produce, and culturally appropriate food options.

Below are key sections of the draft plan where New West residents and businesses can ask the City to include plant-based food.

Comment on the plan
Read key sections for comment

Only have a few minutes? Here is a quick comment:

If you do not have time to comment on each section, you can adapt the comment below and email mayorandcouncillors@newwestcity.ca:

“Please include plant-based food in New Westminster’s climate adaptation and resilience planning.

Plant-based foods can be part of a stronger and more resilient food system. Foods such as legumes, grains, seeds, nuts, fruits, vegetables, and plant-based proteins can be affordable, nutritious, lower-impact, and easier to store than many animal-based products.

Climate impacts can disrupt food access and increase costs, so the City should support affordable, nutritious, lower-impact options through public facilities, City-run programs, community events, emergency planning, food security initiatives, and partnerships with local businesses and community organizations.

Signed, [Your Name]”

Share your feedback before May 31.

Email the mayor now

Plant-based food policy is a practical climate solution.

Animal products use a large share of the world’s farmland and contribute more than half of food-related emissions, while providing a much smaller share of global calories and protein.

C40’s Good Food Cities work found that cities shifting public food procurement saw a 31% drop in high-emission foods, a 44% increase in plant-based foods, and a 16% drop in food-related greenhouse gas emissions from public food purchasing.

And a Vancouver Humane Society cost-benefit analysis found that replacing 20% of the City of Vancouver’s animal-based food purchasing with plant-based alternatives could save up to $99,000 and reduce emissions by more than 500 tonnes.

Plant-Based Cities Movement notes that 82% of Canadians live in cities and that most food is consumed there. That gives municipal governments a real opportunity to reduce food-related emissions through local policy. 

For New Westminster, including plant-based food in their strategies offers a practical way to strengthen climate resilience while also reducing emissions, saving public funds, and helping prevent animal suffering through everyday policy choices.

Take quick action: Share this graphic

Help more New West residents learn about this opportunity.

Share this graphic on your social media before the May 31 deadline and encourage others to comment on the draft plan.

Key sections for comment:

To comment, create an account on New West’s online platform ‘Be Heard’, review the draft plan, and add your feedback directly to the sections you care about. You can leave as many comments as you’d like throughout the draft plan.

To make your submission impactful, and to ensure that it is included, do not copy and paste the text below. Use your own words so your submission reflects your personal concerns and experience.

Comment on the plan
Send a quick comment

Action 2.2.3: Public facilities can lead by example

Public facilities are more than just buildings. They are places where people gather, learn, celebrate, receive services, exercise, and build community.

As New Westminster updates public facility policies, the City could include food service and procurement in that work. This could mean making plant-based options available at City-hosted events, meetings, recreation centres, community programs, seniors’ programs, and other public spaces.

A climate-resilient public facility should not only be energy-efficient. It should also support access to affordable, nutritious, lower-impact plant-based food options in the places residents already use.

Theme 3: Neighbourhood resilience includes food access

When a heat wave, flood, storm, or supply chain disruption occurs, food access becomes a public resilience issue.

That is why plant-based food should be considered in emergency planning, food security work, community kitchens, public programs, and local food partnerships.

New Westminster can help build climate-ready neighbourhoods by working with community partners to improve access to affordable plant-based meals, shelf-stable plant-based proteins, local produce, and culturally appropriate food options.

Theme 6: Everyday City decisions can build food resilience

The draft Climate Plan says climate risk and resilience should be integrated into day-to-day decision-making and City operations.

New Westminster could make plant-based options a normal part of City operations by:

  • Requiring plant-based options at City-hosted events and meetings
  • Adding plant-based considerations to procurement guidelines
  • Providing staff guidance for plant-forward catering
  • Supporting public education about climate-resilient food choices
  • Ensuring City-supported food programs include affordable plant-based options

City decisions about catering, events, grants, facility rentals, community programs, concessions, procurement, and public education all shape what food options are available.

Action 6.1.8: Funding local food resilience solutions

Small grants, pilot projects, public education, and partnerships could help residents access affordable, nutritious, lower-impact plant-based foods while supporting broader climate resilience goals.

For example, the City could support plant-based cooking workshops, community kitchen programs, food security partnerships, local growers, community gardens, food forests, or pilot projects in recreation centres and community centres.

These kinds of initiatives can reduce barriers and help residents see that resilient plant-based food can be familiar, affordable, culturally relevant, and enjoyable.

New West residents: Take action by May 31!

Food is key part of climate resilience. New Westminster has an opportunity to make affordable, climate-resilient, animal-friendly options more available in the places people already gather.

If you live or operate a business in New Westminster, please take a few minutes to ask the City to include plant-based food access in the plan.

Comment on the plan
Make a quick comment

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Have your say: Canada’s Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Beef Cattle

Cows looking at the camera, this breed Shorthorn or Durham, typical of Argentina.
  • The National Farm Animal Care Council’s (NFACC) Beef Code of Practice outlines guidelines for the on-farm care and handling of cattle raised for beef in Canada.
  • The code is being updated for the first time since 2013 and a public comment period is open until June 12, 2026.
  • While there are a few improvements, the new draft code fails to address some of the most significant welfare issues within the beef cattle industry.
  • Join the VHS in calling for stronger requirements for shelter, daily monitoring, pain control, humane handling, transport decisions, and emergency planning.

TAKE ACTION: Share feedback on the draft code on the issues that are important to you; everyone can participate! 

Top welfare priorities
Tips for submitting
Submit your feedback 

Share this post!

Top Welfare Priorities

We encourage you to read through the draft Beef Cattle Code of Practice and provide feedback on the issues that matter most to you, if possible.

However, we have prepared the VHS’s top welfare priorities with section headers and tips for submitting your feedback, if you are short on time and would like guidance.

Short on time? Under the heading ‘Which section of the draft Code would you now like to provide feedback on?’, select ‘General Comments on the Code’. This will allow you to bypass providing feedback on each section of the code.

IMPORTANT: Do not copy and paste wording, as duplicate responses and/or profanity or derogatory language will not be considered by NFACC. 

Section 1: Animal Environment
Section 1.2: Facilities for all cattle

Comment on Requirements:

Currently, there is no minimum shelter requirement to protect cattle from heat, cold, wind, rain, or other harsh weather.

  • The Code should set clear minimum shelter space requirements based on herd size, as well as maximum stocking densities (e.g. number of animals/acre) for cattle on pasture, feedlots, and auction markets.

The Code should require enrichment opportunities that allow cattle to express natural behaviours, including foraging, exercise, social behaviour, and grooming.

The Code should also prohibit tethering cattle as a form of housing. Tethering (tying an animal to an anchor point) should only be used temporarily when necessary for handling or procedures, and it should never be used as a regular housing practice.

Section 2: Feed and Water
Section 2.2: Water

Comment on Requirements

Cattle should have reliable access to clean water, including during heat waves and/or periods of high humidity, and water sources should be monitored regularly.

Snow should not be permitted as the sole winter water source. Snow may not reliably meet cattle’s needs, especially if conditions change or cattle are not checked frequently. A backup water system should always be required.

Comment on Recommended Practices

The following should be requirements:

  • Water sources must be easy for cattle to find and access.
  • The number of watering points and flow rate must be appropriate for the herd size.
  • Automated water systems must be checked daily to ensure they are working properly.

Section 3: Animal Health
Section 3.3.1: Disorders of the Respiratory Tract

Comment on Requirements

Recently weaned calves and newly arrived feedlot cattle should be monitored at least twice daily for two weeks to support early detection of respiratory disease.

A risk-based bovine respiratory disease prevention strategy should be a requirement as part of every herd health program, given that it is a significant health and welfare problem in the beef industry.

Section 3.3.2: Lameness

Comment on Recommended Practices

Lameness is a painful leg or hoof condition that is a common welfare issue within the beef industry. The Code should require training on causes, prevention, and treatment of lameness.

It should also require producers minimize cattle exposure to mud and standing water, and to include lameness prevention strategies in herd health programs.

Section 3.4: Safety and Emergencies

Comment on Requirements

The Code should require stronger emergency planning for fires, floods, and extreme weather.

Newly built facilities should have fire suppression and flood mitigation systems. Existing facilities should be retrofitted where possible.

Section 4: Animal Husbandry
Section 4.1: Handling and Moving Cattle

Comment on Requirements

Electric prods are used during handling and provide an electric shock to the animal. These devices cause pain, stress, and can lead to injury.

Given that electric prods can also easily be overused and that humane alternatives exist and are effective, the Code should prohibit electric prod use and require low-stress handling methods.

Section 4.3: Identification

Comment on Requirements

Branding, which is used to permanently identify cattle, should be prohibited.

Branding is painful and unnecessary, especially when alternatives such as microchipping, visual identifiers, descriptive markings, coat patterns, colour variations, and properly fitted leg bands are available.

Section 4.4: Disbudding and Dehorning

Comment on Requirements

The Code should require practices that eliminate painful horn removal (disbudding and dehorning) procedures, such as transitioning to hornless breeds of cattle.

Section 4.5: Castration

Comment on Requirements

Cattle should be castrated as young as practically possible and provided both anesthetics and pain control, in consultation with a veterinarian.

Comment on Recommended Practices

Calves must be monitored after castration to ensure they are nursing or eating and to check for signs of infection or other complications.

Section 4.5.1: Spaying

Comment on Requirements

Spaying should only be carried out by a veterinarian, and both anesthetics and pain control should be required.

Section 4.6: Weaning

Comment on Recommended Practices

Abrupt weaning of calves from their mothers should be prohibited. Low-stress, gradual weaning strategies should be required.

This includes two-stage or fence-line weaning, avoiding weaning during other major stressors such as adverse weather, commingling with animals from other groups, marketing, or transport, and avoiding painful procedures like branding, dehorning, and castration at the time of weaning.

Calves should also be acclimated to human handling and feed delivery methods they will experience after weaning.

Section 4.8: Tail Docking

Comment on Requirements

Tail docking should only be permitted when medically necessary, in consultation with a veterinarian, and with both anesthesia and pain control.

Section 5: Preparations for Transport
Section 5.1: Evaluating and Preparing Cattle for Transport 

Comment on Recommended Practices

Transport is a stressful process that can pose a significant risk to the health and welfare of cattle. Therefore, the Code should require stronger protections during transport decision-making, planning, scheduling, and loading/receiving.

  • Farm personnel should be trained and have ready access to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s (CFIA) guidance and veterinarian-developed protocols for assessing an animal’s fitness for transport.
  • Monitoring should increase as the transport date approaches, so health or body condition concerns can be identified early.
  • If there is uncertainty about whether an animal is fit for transport, consulting a veterinarian should be required.
Section 5.2: Planning and Scheduling Transport

Comment on Recommended Practices

Transport should be planned to minimize the time animals spend loaded in parked vehicles and to account for forecasted weather conditions. Transport must not take place during extreme weather.

Section 5.3: Loading and Receiving Cattle

Comment on Recommended Practices

The Code should require loading practices that reduce stress and injury, including adjusting loading densities, absorbent material for the weather conditions and providing ramps when the vertical distance between the loading surface and vehicle floor causes cattle to hesitate, stop moving forward, or refuse to move.

Section 6: On-Farm Euthanasia
Section 6.1: Euthanasia Decisions

Comment on Requirements:

Delayed or inappropriate decisions around humane euthanasia can lead to prolonged animal suffering.

The Code should require training to help personnel assess quality of life, prognosis, and when euthanasia is needed. A required training module should be developed to support timely, humane decision-making.

General Comments

The Code should include a clear duty of care section, similar to other Codes of Practice, which require that all personnel responsible for cattle must be required to know the Code, be properly trained, and be competent and confident in cattle care and handling.

The Code should also require cattle to be checked daily at a minimum. Daily observation is essential to identify illness, injury, lack of access to food or water, extreme weather impacts, calving difficulties, and other welfare concerns.

There should also be stronger requirements for consistent, practical tools for measuring welfare outcomes across the beef cattle industry.

Submit your feedback now!

Tips for submitting

To make your submission impactful, and to ensure that it is reviewed by NFACC, consider these tips before submitting your feedback:  

  • REMINDER: Do not copy and paste the text below, as duplicate submissions will be ignored by NFACC. Use your own words so your submission reflects your personal concerns and experience.
  • Keep responses relevant to on-farm practices.
  • Provide references and examples whenever possible. 
  • Reference exact wording in the draft code that you would like to see changed and how you would like it changed.
  • Make it personal, the committee members are interested in how this code impacts you.
Thank you so much for taking the time to speak up for beef cattle in Canada.
Submit your feedback now!
References

TBD

Stay Informed. Help Animals.

Learn about farmed animal welfare in Canada and what you can do to help! Sign up now to get clear explanations, action alerts, and practical steps you can take when it matters most.  Click here to learn more.

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Proposed changes to Alberta’s animal protection laws leave “sport” animals vulnerable 

Calgary Stampede chuckwagon races. Jo-Anne McArthur / We Animals Media.

Cover image: Calgary Stampede chuckwagon races. Jo-Anne McArthur / We Animals Media.

Update

The Alberta government passed the Animal Protection Amendment Act (Bill 22). The update includes some meaningful changes to protect animals, but sadly, the Bill passed with an exemption that leaves animals vulnerable to distress during sporting activities. Please see the Current Campaigns page for more ways you can help animals used in rodeo and other sporting events.

  • Alberta is proposing its first major update to animal protection laws in more than 20 years.  
  • The changes signal a growing recognition that stronger protections are needed to prevent animal suffering and hold offenders accountable. 
  • While some proposed changes in the Animal Protection Amendment Act (Bill 22) include meaningful improvements to be celebrated, animals used in sporting events, such as rodeos, are left vulnerable. 

Alberta residents: Learn more below, then email your MLA and Alberta Minister of Agriculture, Minister RJ Sigurdson (AGRIC.Minister@gov.ab.ca), to express your concern and seek stronger protections for animals used in sporting activities.

Find my MLA
Email Minister Sigurdson
Learn more
Tips for your email

Current laws & proposed changes

Under the existing Animal Protection Act in Alberta, which has had no major updates in more than 20 years, it is illegal to cause an animal to be in distress, with exemptions for some animal use industries. 

Now, Alberta is proposing a major update. This signals important progress—but one of the proposed changes would allow distress resulting from the use of animals in a sporting activity that is carried out in accordance with “reasonable and generally accepted practices”, expanding the types of industries exempted. 

This concerning change could allow sporting industries that use animals to effectively make their own rules and allow harmful practices that cause significant suffering, such as in rodeo events. 

This change may also make it harder to hold people accountable or enforce rules while setting a risky example that other jurisdictions might follow. Removing the proposed exemption for allowing distress in sporting activities is a critical step toward ensuring animals are protected. 

If you are a resident of Alberta, or have friends and family who are residents, share this information and contact your MLA and the Minister of Agriculture, who is sponsoring the Bill, to request changes to better protect animals. The legislation is moving quickly! Don’t hesitate to speak up for animals. 

A persistent loophole

Vague language, like “reasonable and generally accepted practices” often allows industries to set their own standards when no external standards exist, even when those practices may cause harm. It may also limit enforcement action when there are no clear guidelines on what a generally accepted practice is.  

Animals used in sporting activities should not be subjected to distress or cruel practices for entertainment. Closing this loophole by removing the exemption for causing distress in sporting activities is a critical step toward ensuring animals are protected.  

Limited public input

While the province consulted with a range of stakeholders, including industry representatives and enforcement agencies, there was no formal public comment period for the Animal Protection Amendment Act (Bill 22). This has left many concerned individuals in a rush to contact their MLAs to request amendments before the bill progresses further. 

The legislation is still in early stages, and there remains an opportunity to strengthen protections for animals. However, the timeline for public input is unclear, and the process appears to be moving quickly. 

Don’t hesitate! Contact your MLA and Minister Sigurdson and express your concerns before the legislation progresses and amendments can no longer be made.  

Find my MLA
Email Minister Sigurdson

Tips for requesting amendments by email

To request amendments to the Animal Protection Amendment Act (Bill 22), consider: 

  • Raising concern about vague exemptions like “reasonable and generally accepted practices” that can result in significant animal suffering.
  • Requesting the removal of the proposed distress exemptions for animals used in sporting activities. 
  • Calling for clear, enforceable protections that address the risks associated with rodeo and other animal-based sporting activities. 
    • For example, prohibiting the most dangerous and inhumane rodeo events, handling practices, and tools that cause animal suffering.

As the bill moves forward, decision-makers have an opportunity to build on these improvements and deliver legislation that fully reflects the public’s expectation for strong, enforceable animal protection laws. 

By contacting your MLA or encouraging friends or family who are Alberta residents to do so, you are taking direct action to strengthen protections for animals.  

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Endangered, exploited, and still imported.

A group of macaques at a breeding facility peer through rusted wire while perching on their cage's ledge at sunset. Laos, 2011. Jo-Anne McArthur / We Animals
Jo-Anne McArthur We Animals Media

Image credit: Jo-Anne McArthur / We Animals 

  • Long-tailed macaques are the most heavily traded primate in the world for experimentation.  
  • Between 2023 and 2025, Canada allowed the import of more than 10,000 long-tailed macaques from Cambodia. 

TAKE ACTION: Sign the new federal e-petition, which aims to improve protections for long-tailed macaques in Canada. 

Sign the e-petition
Learn more

10,000 endangered long-tailed macaques, a species of monkey commonly traded for experimentation, were imported to Canada in just three years.

This is deeply concerning.

A five-year U.S. federal investigation found that Cambodia’s supply chain laundered wild-caught macaques as captive-bred animals. In November 2025, Thai authorities uncovered ongoing smuggling of wild macaques destined for Cambodia. These findings raise serious questions about the legality and traceability of animals entering international markets.

Canada has both the authority and the responsibility to act.

A barn owl sits tethered to the hand of their handler in Prague, Czechia. This owl is displayed in order to sell photoshoots with the captive bird. Prague, Czechia, 2021. Lukas Vincour / Zvirata Nejime / We Animals
Credit: Jo-Anne McArthur / We Animals 

Your voice helps endangered monkeys

A new parliamentary e-petition calls on the Minister of the Environment, Climate Change and Nature to: 

  1. Launch an investigation into the legality, traceability, and authenticity of CITES permits used for importing Cambodian long-tailed macaques into Canada; and 
  1. Add long-tailed macaques to Schedule II of the Wild Animal and Plant Trade Regulations so Canada can require and assess its own import permits. 

This is a critical opportunity to strengthen oversight, uphold wildlife protection laws, and ensure Canada is not complicit in the exploitation of endangered animals. 

The petition closes the morning of April 28, 2026. 

If you are a Canadian citizen or resident, please add your name today and share the petition with others who care about wildlife protection and ethical responsibility. 

*Note: You will be asked to confirm your email after signing. Please check your spam folder to confirm your email and ensure your voice counts. 

Sign the e-petition

Together, we can urge the federal government to take meaningful action for long-tailed macaques before it is too late. 

Share our content to reach more people and spread the word!

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Have your say: Canada’s Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Equines

Animals close-up photography. Horse Consultation. Four horses assembled your heads together.

Update

The public feedback period for the Equine Code of Practice is now closed. Thank you to everyone who spoke up for animals. Please go to this page for current campaigns.

  • In 2024, we asked for your help in completing a national survey that gathered top equine welfare concerns. Your voice was heard, and responses from this survey were used to create a draft Equine Code of Practice.  
  • The public comment period for the National Farm Animal Care Council’s (NFACC) Equine Code of Practice is now open until March 12, 2026  
  • The Equine Code of Practice provides a guideline for the on-farm care and handling of horses and donkeys raised in Canada.  
  • While this draft provides many much-needed updates to the Equine Code of Practice, there are still changes to be made to improve equine welfare. 
  • Note that the code does not include transport, such as the live export of horses for slaughter; it only includes on-farm practices and deciding if individual horses are fit for transport. 

TAKE ACTION: Join us in providing feedback on the draft code on the issues that are important to you; everyone can participate! 

Top welfare priorities
Tips for submitting
Submit your feedback 

Share this post!

Top Welfare Priorities

We encourage you to read through the draft Equine Code of Practice and provide feedback on the issues that matter most to you if possible.

However, we have prepared the VHS’s top welfare priorities with section headers and tips for submitting your feedback if you are short on time and would like guidance. REMINDER: do not copy and paste the text below, as duplicate submissions will be ignored by NFACC.

Section 2: Facilities and Housing
Section 2.3.1 – Indoor space allowance

Comment on Requirements:

Tie-stalls should be banned, which keep animals tethered in one place and prevent them from moving freely, socializing, or behaving naturally, often leading to physical and mental health problems. (Popescu et al., 2019; Yngvesson et al., 2019).

Section 6: Loose Horse Management
Section 6.5.1 – Stocking density

Comment on Requirements

Currently, there are no requirements about how much space horses need or shelter access in feedlots or other similar environments. Clear minimum standards should be set, based on research, to give horses enough room, reduce stress, fighting, and injuries, and protect them from harsh weather.

Section 7: Husbandry
Section 7.1 – Turnout, social opportunities, and enrichment 

Comment on Requirements

Currently, there are no minimum requirements for turnout (giving equines free access to pasture or paddock), social opportunities, and enrichment in the draft code.

Turnout and enrichment allow horses to express natural behaviours and provide mental stimulation, including grazing, freedom of movement and social interaction.

Minimum requirements should include: 

Turnout: Horses should be allowed outside for at least 12 hours each day (Bell et al., 2001). They need enough space to move freely at their own pace and to get away from other horses if there is aggression.

Enrichment: Horses should have regular contact with other compatible horses, a variety of toys and feeding options, and opportunities to do natural things like rolling in pasture or using scent and scratching stations.

Section 7.2 – General behaviour and handling of horses

Comment on Recommended Best Practices

Horses are easily frightened and may react by bolting or becoming aggressive. To keep both people and horses safe, it should be a requirement to avoid loud noises, sudden movements, or other actions that could scare them.

Section 7.3 – Methods of identification

Comment on Requirements

Hot and freeze branding are painful and stressful for horses and can have lasting effects on their behaviour. Since there are safer ways to identify horses, like microchipping, branding should no longer be allowed. Instead, clear visual identification methods, such as coat markings, hair patterns, colour differences, scars, or properly fitted leg bands, should be used.

Section 8: Exercise & Training
Section 8.2 – Guidelines for training horses

Comment on Recommended Best Practices

It should be required to use the First Training Principles when training and handling horses (refer to Appendix L – Handling Horses and How Horses Learn).

Equestrians often use training methods that compromise equine welfare to achieve competition-related goals. Training horses should never harm their well-being and should match what they are physically and mentally able to do.

Using proven, humane training methods helps keep both horses and trainers safe and reduces problem behaviours.

Section 9: Reproductive Management
Section 9.5.4 – Weaning

Comment on Recommended Best Practices

It should be a requirement that foals are not weaned before 6 months of age, and when possible, weaning should wait until after 9 months. Gradual weaning helps reduce stress and supports healthy growth and development in young horses (Henry et al., 2020).

Section 10: Transport
Section 10.1 – Fitness for transport

Comment on Requirements

People who assess an animal’s suitability for transport should receive proper training, and their assessments should be recorded and documented so there are clear, reliable records.

Section 10.4 – Loading and unloading

Comment on Recommended Best Practices

Recommendations (a.), (b.), (c.), (d.), (e.) should be requirements given the high stress of loading and unloading for equines.

Section 10.4.2 – Post-transport management

Comment on Recommended Best Practices:

Horses may hide signs of pain when people are watching (Torcivia & McDonnell, 2020), so recently transported horses should be closely monitored for dehydration, injuries, colic, fever, or breathing problems, especially after long trips or when horses from different places have been mixed.

Comment on Recommended Best Practices:

There should be a recommended practice of video monitoring recently transported horses.

Section 11: Change or End of Career
Section 11.1 – Change or end of career

Comment on Requirements:

Every equine industry should have a transition plan for what happens to horses at the end of their working careers, and having this plan should be required for operation.

Section 12: Euthanasia
Section 12.2 – Methods of euthanasia

Comment on Requirements:

Euthanasia must be carried out in a way that causes no pain or fear, and horses must be made unconscious immediately.

Submit your feedback now!

Tips for submitting

To make your submission impactful, and to ensure that it is reviewed by NFACC, consider these tips before submitting your feedback:  

  • IMPORTANT: Do not copy and paste wording, as duplicate responses and/or profanity or derogatory language will not be considered by NFACC. 
  • Keep responses relevant to the draft code. Issues involving transportation, such as live horse export, will not be considered by NFACC.  
  • Provide references and examples whenever possible. 
  • Reference exact wording in the draft code that you would like to see changed and how you would like it changed  
  • Make it personal, the committee members are interested in how this code impacts you  
  • Consider looking through the submission form for formatting style before you begin drafting your feedback 
Thank you so much for taking the time to speak up for equids in Canada.
Submit your feedback now!
References

Bell R.A., Nielsen B.D., Waite K., Rosenstein D. & Orth M. (2001) Daily access to pasture turnout prevents loss of mineral in the third metacarpus of Arabian weanlings. Journal of Animal Science 79:142-1150.  

Henry, S., Sigurjónsdóttir, H., Klapper, A., Joubert, J., Montier, G., & Hausberger, M. (2020). Domestic foal weaning: Need for re-thinking breeding practices? Animals 10(2): 361. doi:https://doi.org/10.3390/ani10020361  

Popescu, S., Lazar, E. A., Borda, C., Niculae, M., Sandru, C. D., & Spinu, M. (2019). Welfare quality of breeding horses under different housing conditions. Animals 9(3): 81. doi:https://doi.org/10.3390/ani9030081  

Torcivia, C., & McDonnell, S. (2020). In-Person Caretaker Visits Disrupt Ongoing Discomfort Behavior in Hospitalized Equine Orthopedic Surgical Patients. Animals 10(2): 210. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani10020210  

Yngvesson, J., Rey Torres, J. C., Lindholm, J., Pättiniemi, A., Andersson, P., & Sassner, H. (2019). Health and body conditions of riding school horses housed in groups or kept in conventional tie-Stall/Box housing. Animals 9(3): 73. doi:https://doi.org/10.3390/ani9030073 

Stay Informed. Help Animals.

Learn about farmed animal welfare in Canada and what you can do to help! Sign up now to get clear explanations, action alerts, and practical steps you can take when it matters most.  Click here to learn more.

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Protect ducks and geese from force-feeding for foie gras (Federal e-petition)

A gosling in the grass

Update

This petition is now closed. Thank you to everyone who signed and spoke up for animals. Please go to this page for current campaigns.

  • The Vancouver Humane Society is joining the Canadian Coalition for Farmed Animals and advocates across Canada in calling for a ban on force-feeding ducks and geese for foie gras production.
  • Foie gras is produced by force-feeding ducks and geese until their livers swell up to ten times their normal size, causing a painful condition known as hepatic lipidosis (fatty liver syndrome).
  • Many other nations have banned the production and/or import of foie gras due to the severe animal welfare concerns, including the UK, Argentina, Australia, and India.

TAKE ACTION: Canadian residents can sign the official parliamentary e-petition until January 2, 2026. After you sign, be sure to click the link in the confirmation email so your signature is counted.

View updates

End foie gras production, import, and sale in Canada

Join the Vancouver Humane Society, the Canadian Coalition for Farmed Animals, MP Nathaniel Erskine-Smith, and advocates across Canada in calling to protect ducks and geese from inhumane force-feeding for foie gras.

The petition calls on Canada’s Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food to:

  • Ban the practice of force-feeding ducks and geese for the production of foie gras;
  • Ban the importation and sale of foie gras produced by such force-feeding;
  • Provide financial assistance and guidance to producers for transitioning to plant-based agriculture.

Sign the federal e-petition on the Parliament of Canada website before January 2, 2026, at 10:28 a.m. PT. 

Important: After you sign the petition, be sure to check your email and click the confirmation link to ensure your signature is counted.  

View updates (Petition closed)

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Support the Protecting Victims Act: Criminalize the distribution of animal sexual abuse images

close up view of unrecognizable dog and owner woman holding hand and paw.

Success!

Bill C-16, the Protecting Victims Act, has passed in Canada! Thank you to everyone who supported this historic milestone. You can find more ways to speak up for animals on the VHS’s Current Campaigns page.

  • Last week, the Government of Canada introduced Bill C-16, the Protecting Victims Act.
  • This bill that moves to criminalize the distribution of animal sexual abuse images, while recognizing animals as victims and tools of coercive control.
  • These types images are not only acts of cruelty toward animals—they are also used to groom and exploit children and control victims.
  • This historic milestone was made possible through years of advocacy from Humane Canada (the federation of humane societies and SPCAs) and Member organizations.

TAKE ACTION: Use the quick message tool from Humane Canada to call on your MP to support the Protecting Victims Act.

Contact your MP

Take action

Violence against animals and violence against people are deeply connected, a reality that has left children, survivors, and animals without the protections they need. Bill C-16, the Protecting Victims Act, is a crucial step forward that recognizes the violence link and takes action where it is urgently needed.

The bill criminalizes the distribution of animal sexual abuse images, material that has been used to groom, manipulate, and exploit children. It also expands protections for people whose animals are harmed or threatened as a form of coercive control, a tactic widely used in intimate partner violence and criminal harassment.

These measures close long-standing gaps in Canadian law and strengthen safety for the entire family unit.

But Bill C-16 is not yet law. For these protections to take effect, Parliament must pass the legislation. Your voice can help ensure that happens.

Contact your MP
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Help push Canada toward a future without animal testing 

Roger Kingbird / We Animals.

Image credit: Jo-Anne McArthur We Animals Media

Update

This petition is now closed. Thank you to everyone who signed and spoke up for animals. Please go to this page for current campaigns.

  • Each year in Canada, 3 to 5 million animals, like beagles, rabbits and mice, are used in scientific research and toxicity testing, as reported by the Canadian Council on Animal Care.  
  • In 2024, nearly 100,000 animals were subjected to procedures causing severe pain or distress.  
  • There is growing evidence to suggest that animal studies fail to reliably predict human outcomes. 
  • Despite the urgent need for better, more human-relevant science, Canada’s progress has been slow.
  • Last year, the Canadian Centre for Alternatives to Animal Methods (CCAAM), one of the country’s leading programs for alternatives to animal-use, closed due to a lack of funding.

TAKE ACTION: Sign the new official federal e-petition calling on Canada to do better. Tell the federal government that transitioning to animal-free research and testing is important to you!

When you sign an official federal e-petition, you’ll get an email asking you to confirm your signature. Your signature doesn’t count until you click that confirmation link.

View updates
Learn More
Photographs of animal use manuals from the Coulston Foundation, a former animal testing laboratory.
Jo-Anne McArthur We Animals Media
New Zealand white rabbits in a testing lab
Roger Kingbird / We Animals
Jo-Anne McArthur / Animal Equality / We Animals

Image credit: Jo-Anne McArthur + Media Roger Kingbird / We Animals.

Why change is needed

Despite Canada committing to reduce animal testing for chemical safety in 2022, and a 2025 federal strategy under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) to replace, reduce, or refine the use of vertebrate animals in toxicity testing, the strategy does not include targets, timelines or dedicated funding.  

Federal e-petition 6841 asks for:

  • A coordinated national effort to transition away from animal models;  
  • Measurable targets to reduce animal use in research and regulatory testing (50% reduction by 2030, full replacement where feasible by 2035); 
  • Sustainable federal funding to establish a national centre to lead the transition to animal-free research and testing; 
  • A mandate to prioritize non-animal methods, with replacement as the default; 
  • Federally recognize non-animal methods as the standard by amending federal laws and regulations; 
  • Establish mandatory public reporting on non-animal method adoption rates, federal funding, and animal use in public and private sectors. 

Public support for humane science

Canada is falling behind countries like the United States and those in the European Union, which have developed strategies and investments in new methods that do not use animals. Canadians overwhelmingly agree that it’s time for Canada to catch up.  

  • 83% of Canadians believe that whenever modern scientific alternatives are available, they should be used instead of subjecting animals to painful experiments;1 
  • On average, Canadians rate the importance of considering animal welfare in research decisions at an 8 out of 10, reflecting strong public concern for the treatment of animals used in science;2  
  • When asked how important it is to find effective alternatives to the use of animals in science and medicine, Canadians gave an average score of 7.7 out of 10.2  

Sign the official federal government petition: 

Join fellow Canadians in calling for a transition to animal-free research and testing! 

View updates (petition closed)

1 According to a Léger Marketing survey conducted for the Montreal SPCA from September 19 to 21, 2025, among 1,521 Canadians.

2 Nanos Research. Public Opinion Survey on the Use of Animals in Canadian Science (October 2024), conducted for the Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC). https://ccac.ca/Documents/About/CCAC_NANOS_EN-02-2025.pdf

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UPDATE: UBCM Executive to vote on mobile live animal programs & exotic pet regulations

Success!

After 2,450 messages were sent to speak up for exotic animals and mobile live animal programs, the UBCM Executive voted to endorse resolution NR75! Please see the Current Campaigns page for more ways you can help exotic animals, including asking the B.C. government to act on the UBCM’s call for change.

  • In September, the Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM), which represents local governments across B.C., held its annual convention.
  • A resolution brought forward called on the B.C. government to regulate mobile live animal programs – such as mobile petting zoos and exotic pet expos – and strengthen rules for keeping exotic (non-native, non-domesticated) species.
  • More than 1,000 B.C. residents wrote to their local governments, urging them to support resolution NR75 — Mobile Live Animal Programs.
  • UBCM members ran out of time to vote on resolution NR75 during the convention.
  • The resolution will now be considered by the UBCM Executive at their quarterly meeting on November 12-14.

TAKE ACTION: Add your name to the VHS’s campaign urging the UBCM President & Executive to support protections for animals used in mobile live animal programs and to call for stronger provincial safeguards for exotic animals kept, sold, bred, or traded as pets.

Tell UBCM Executive to vote YES to NR75
Learn More

This action has now ended.

2,450 messages were sent using the quick action tool to support UBCM resolution NR75. Thank you for taking action.

See more campaigns

Learn more

Exotic animals are wild animals from other countries often imported to Canada through the exotic pet trade. These animals are not domesticated, even if bred in captivity, and their welfare can suffer when sold, bred, transported, or displayed. The exotic pet trade also poses risks to the environment and public health and safety.  

Animal welfare issues

Mobile live animal programs (MLAPs) can take many forms, including travelling petting zoos, presentations, and expos where animals can be purchased. They involve the transport of animals to a location for display, public entertainment, or sale to the public, and feature a variety of different animals.

MLAPs often include exotic animals—wild animals from other countries imported to Canada—such as spiders, snakes, lizards, and tortoises.    

Animals involved in MLAPs face many animal welfare risks, including:

  • Travel to and from events
  • The public handling of animals
  • Unregulated housing and breeding practices outside of events where they may face restricted movement due to lack of space
  • Limited behavioural opportunities
  • Abnormal social groupings, such as highly social animals being housed alone
  • Exposure to unnatural environmental conditions (lighting, temperature, substrate, sounds, odours)

Environmental risks

The accidental or intentional release of exotic pets (e.g. when pets are no longer wanted but a new home cannot be found for them) can introduce invasive species to our ecosystems. Some invasive species who have impacted our local ecosystems include the red-eared slider turtle, goldfish, and American bullfrog.  

Invasive species can threaten native wildlife, compromise habitats, and spread new diseases.   

Public health & safety concerns

While the risk of disease transmission is always present when interacting with exotic animals, MLAPs increase risk due to:

  • The number of animals and variety of species
  • High amount of close human contact
  • Difficulties in following hygiene protocols (if present)

These risks are particularly prevalent at events marketed to children.

The transportation and frequent handling of animals at these events presents a significant risk factor for stress, and stressed animals may also be more likely to bite or scratch, compounding risks of disease transmission and physical harm. 

Community impacts

Escaped or released animals and the surrender of unwanted exotic pets stress already overwhelmed shelters, rescues, and veterinary services, which may not have the resources and expertise to accommodate such a wide range of exotic species.

There have been many documented instances of escaped or released exotic pets in B.C. in recent years.

Outdated regulations leave exotic animals at risk

Currently, there are no provincial regulations in place that are specific to MLAPs and there is a lack of consistent and enforceable standards for keeping, breeding, displaying, and selling exotic pets.  

B.C.’s Controlled Alien Species Regulation (CASR), introduced in 2009, has banned ownership of more than 1,000 dangerous species like tigers and venomous snakes that pose a threat to people, property, and wildlife.

However, the CASR does not address animal welfare or disease risks, making many exotic species that suffer in captivity or can spread zoonotic diseases still legal to own and trade. 

UBCM resolution NR75 – Mobile Live Animal Programs calls on the B.C. government to:

  • Regulate mobile live animal programs to address animal welfare concerns and public health and safety risks; 
  • Update the Controlled Alien Species Regulation to equally prioritize animal welfare considerations alongside public safety, and prohibit the import, keeping, breeding and transport of all exotic species. 

TAKE ACTION: Sign the letter to show your support for this resolution!

ADD YOUR VOICE
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Take action for animals at Marineland!

Beluga swimming underwater

Update

In January 2026, the Canadian government granted conditional approval for Marineland to export their remaining belugas to the United States. Read more details or see the VHS’s Current Campaigns page for other ways to support animals.

Humane Canada, of which the VHS is a member organization, needs our help to speak up for animals in captivity at Marineland! 

  • In 2019, Canada banned the keeping of whales, dolphins and porpoises for breeding or entertainment in Canada through the Ending the Captivity of Whales and Dolphins Act. 
  • Since this important federal law was passed in 2019, more than 20 animals have died at Marineland.  
  • Earlier this year, Marineland requested a permit from the federal government to export their 30 remaining beluga whales to the Chimelong Ocean Kingdom aquarium in China where they would endure stressful and dangerous transport and a continued life in captivity for public entertainment. 
  • Marineland’s request was denied, and now they are threatening to euthanize the 30 remaining belugas in their care if financial support is not received from the federal government.  

Join Humane Canada and animal allies across Canada to call on the Ontario government to step up for animal welfare and assist in finding alternative solutions! 

Share your voice for marine mammals in captivity (Humane Canada action)

Learn more

What are Humane Canada and other animal organizations asking for?

Humane Canada and other organizations, including the Vancouver Humane Society, are deeply concerned about the ongoing welfare of animals at Marineland in Niagara Falls. While we applaud the federal government’s decision to decline a permit for Marineland to export their beluga whales to China, and the passing of the Ending Captivity of Whales and Dolphins Act in 2019, action must be taken by the Ontario government to protect the animals at Marineland. 

Humane Canada and other expert partners including the Whale Sanctuary project and World Animal Protection have repeatedly offered to assist in finding humane outcomes for these animals. Recent deaths of marine mammals and threats of euthanasia from Marineland demonstrate the urgent need for action. 

Humane Canada and compassionate allies are asking for the Government of Ontario to:

  • Direct Ontario’s Provincial Animal Welfare Services (PAWS) to step in right away to seize the animals in situ and ensure their welfare and safety, which is at immediate risk. Marineland has stated that the whales will be euthanized if the federal government fails to approve the export permits;
  • Convene a group of independent marine mammal experts to assess the whales’ current condition and work to improve care standards on-site;  
  • Determine the next steps for these whales based on expert advice and in accordance with the whales’ well-being and best interests.   
Don’t delay — add your name to Humane Canada’s letter writing campaign to Ontario Premier Doug Ford!

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