Bill C-230 explained in plain English
An Act to amend the Criminal Code (cruelty to animals)
Federal Parliament bill summary, status, timeline, sponsor, votes, and official sources.
At a glance
Official Parliament of Canada snapshot for 40th Parliament, 1st Session. MP vote breakdowns appear when the House of Commons publishes a recorded division export for that bill. Senate and House stage details include official debate/sitting links when LEGISinfo publishes them.
Our plain-language take, written for civic education.
Source: By PoliticalData.ca
Bill C-230 amends the Criminal Code to create new animal cruelty offences in a dedicated section, with penalties including imprisonment and fines, while repealing previous animal cruelty provisions.
Bill C-230 proposes to reorganize and expand how Canada's criminal law addresses animal cruelty. Currently, animal cruelty rules are scattered within the Criminal Code's section on property offences. This bill would create a dedicated new section (Part V.1) specifically for animal cruelty offences. It defines "animal" as any vertebrate except humans, and establishes criminal offences for deliberately or recklessly causing unnecessary pain or injury to animals, killing animals without lawful excuse, organizing animal fighting or baiting, poisoning animals without reasonable excuse, and operating premises for animal fighting. The bill also makes it a specific crime to poison, injure, or kill animals used by police or other officials in their work. Penalties range from fines of up to $5,000 to $10,000 and imprisonment from six months to five years, depending on the specific offence. Courts would gain new powers to ban convicted persons from owning or living with animals, and to order them to repay costs of caring for animals affected by their crimes. The bill would also repeal the old animal cruelty sections (sections 444–447.1) that are currently in the Criminal Code. The bill includes exceptions for Aboriginal hunting and treaty rights, and maintains common law defences where relevant.
- Creates a new Part V.1 in the Criminal Code dedicated exclusively to animal cruelty offences
- Defines 'animal' as any vertebrate other than a human being
- Makes it a criminal offence to wilfully or recklessly cause unnecessary pain, suffering, or injury to an animal, or to kill an animal without lawful excuse
- Criminalizes organizing, promoting, conducting, or participating in animal fighting, baiting, or liberation-shooting events, and using premises for such activities
- Makes it an offence to administer poisonous or injurious drugs to domestic animals or wild animals in captivity without reasonable excuse
- Criminalizes abandoning animals or negligently failing to provide adequate food, water, air, shelter, and care
- Makes injuring animals during transport a criminal offence
- Creates a specific offence for deliberately or recklessly poisoning, injuring, or killing law enforcement animals (dogs, horses, or other animals used by peace officers)
- Establishes penalties: up to 5 years imprisonment and/or up to $10,000 fine for serious animal cruelty; up to 2 years imprisonment and/or up to $5,000 fine for neglect and transport injury; up to 5 years imprisonment and/or up to $10,000 fine for harming law enforcement animals
- Allows courts to ban convicted persons from owning, having custody of, or living with animals; minimum 5-year ban for repeat offenders
- Allows courts to order convicted persons to repay reasonable costs incurred in caring for affected animals
- Repeals the existing animal cruelty provisions (sections 444–447.1) from Part XI of the Criminal Code
- Preserves Aboriginal and treaty rights under section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982
- Maintains common law defences under section 429(2) of the Criminal Code where applicable
- Anyone who deliberately or recklessly causes pain, suffering, or injury to any vertebrate animal (except humans)
- Animal owners and persons having custody or control of animals who fail to provide adequate care or abandon animals
- Persons involved in organizing, promoting, or participating in animal fighting, baiting, or liberation-shooting events
- Owners, occupiers, or persons in charge of premises used for animal fighting or baiting activities
- Persons who administer poisonous or injurious drugs to domestic or captive wild animals without reasonable excuse
- Persons who injure animals while transporting them
- Persons who deliberately or recklessly poison, injure, or kill law enforcement animals (dogs, horses, or other animals used by peace officers)
- Individuals convicted of animal cruelty offences who may face prison time, fines, bans on animal ownership, and orders to repay care costs
- Aboriginal peoples (whose existing or treaty rights are explicitly preserved)
- Law enforcement agencies and officers who use animals in their work
- Animal welfare organizations and individuals who take care of animals affected by cruelty offences and may receive compensation for costs incurred
- Animal owners and persons with custody of animals must provide suitable and adequate food, water, air, shelter, and care; failure to do so without negligence constitutes an offence
- No person may deliberately or recklessly cause unnecessary pain, suffering, or injury to an animal, or kill an animal without lawful excuse
- No person may organize, promote, conduct, or participate in animal fighting, baiting, or liberation-shooting events
- No person may administer poisonous or injurious drugs to domestic or captive wild animals without reasonable excuse
- No person may use premises or premises in their charge for animal fighting, baiting, or related activities
- No person may injure animals during transport
- No person may deliberately or recklessly poison, injure, or kill law enforcement animals while they are assisting officers
- Courts have the power to ban convicted persons from owning, having custody of, or residing with animals for a period the court deems appropriate, with a minimum 5-year ban for repeat offences
- Convicted persons may be ordered by courts to repay reasonable costs incurred by persons or organizations in caring for animals affected by their offences
- Aboriginal and treaty rights of Indigenous peoples are protected and not affected by the new animal cruelty provisions
- First Reading: November 26, 2008
- Current Status: Outside the Order of Precedence (as of the bill's parliamentary record)
- Fines for animal cruelty offences: up to $5,000 (for neglect/transport injury) to $10,000 (for active cruelty and law enforcement animal offences)
- Courts may order convicted persons to pay reasonable costs incurred by persons or organizations that cared for affected animals, where those costs are readily ascertainable
- Costs related to prosecution and incarceration of offenders (not specified in the bill)
- Deliberately or recklessly causing unnecessary pain, suffering, or injury to animals, or killing animals without lawful excuse: up to 5 years imprisonment on indictment; up to $10,000 fine and/or up to 18 months imprisonment on summary conviction
- Organizing, promoting, or participating in animal fighting, baiting, or liberation-shooting events: up to 5 years imprisonment on indictment; up to $10,000 fine and/or up to 18 months imprisonment on summary conviction
- Administering poisonous or injurious drugs to animals without reasonable excuse: up to 5 years imprisonment on indictment; up to $10,000 fine and/or up to 18 months imprisonment on summary conviction
- Abandoning animals or negligently failing to provide adequate care: up to 2 years imprisonment on indictment; up to $5,000 fine and/or up to 6 months imprisonment on summary conviction
- Injuring animals during transport: up to 2 years imprisonment on indictment; up to $5,000 fine and/or up to 6 months imprisonment on summary conviction
- Deliberately or recklessly poisoning, injuring, or killing law enforcement animals: up to 5 years imprisonment on indictment; up to $10,000 fine and/or up to 18 months imprisonment on summary conviction
- Contravening an animal ownership prohibition order: punishable on summary conviction
- Courts may ban convicted persons from owning, having custody of, or residing with animals for a period deemed appropriate; minimum 5-year ban for repeat offences
- Courts may order convicted persons to repay reasonable costs incurred by persons or organizations in caring for affected animals, where costs are readily ascertainable
- The bill does not specify what constitutes 'reasonable excuse' for administering poisonous substances to animals, leaving interpretation to courts
- The bill does not define 'lawful excuse' for killing animals, leaving interpretation to courts and potentially to common law and existing jurisprudence
- The bill does not specify what constitutes 'suitable and adequate' food, water, air, shelter, and care, leaving definition to courts on a case-by-case basis
- The bill does not provide details on how 'readily ascertainable' costs for animal care are to be determined or verified
- The bill does not explain how sections 740–741.2 of the Criminal Code (restitution provisions) apply to animal care cost orders, requiring reference to those sections
- The bill's status as 'Outside the Order of Precedence' suggests it may not proceed to further legislative stages; its current legislative progress is unknown
- The scope of 'law enforcement animal' is limited to dogs, horses, and animals used by peace officers or public officers, but the term 'any other animal' in the definition may be subject to interpretation
- The bill does not explain the interaction between the new animal cruelty offences and existing wildlife or hunting regulations that may permit certain activities
Adds a new Part V.1 (Cruelty to Animals) with sections 182.1 through 182.7, establishing new animal cruelty offences, penalties, and court powers. Repeals sections 444–447.1 which previously addressed animal cruelty within the property offences section.
Source: Section 1 of Bill C-230; Criminal Code R.S., c. C-46
Modifies the legal justification and excuse defence to include 'colour of right' (a legal term meaning a reasonable belief in a legal entitlement to act as one did), clarifying that this defence applies to property offences and, by extension, to animal cruelty proceedings.
Source: Section 2 of Bill C-230
Generated using AI from official bill text. Not legal advice. It is written by PoliticalData.ca for civic education, automatically checked and spot-reviewed before publishing.
Official textParliamentary Process
We don't have a plain-language summary for First reading yet. The official source linked below is the full record.
We don't have a plain-language summary for Second reading yet. The official source linked below is the full record.
We don't have a plain-language summary for Third reading yet. The official source linked below is the full record.
Bill C-230, concerning cruelty to animals, completed its first reading in the House of Commons on November 26, 2008, and was not yet scheduled for further proceedings.
This artifact describes the first reading of Bill C-230 in the House of Commons on November 26, 2008. First reading is a procedural step where a bill is formally introduced. The bill is titled 'An Act to amend the Criminal Code (cruelty to animals)'. At this point, the bill is considered 'outside the Order of Precedence', meaning it has not yet been scheduled for debate. The artifact also notes that a similar bill, C-558, was introduced in a previous Parliament.
Bill C-230, concerning cruelty to animals, was introduced and read for the first time in the House of Commons on November 26, 2008.
This artifact is a record of the first reading of Bill C-230, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (cruelty to animals), in the House of Commons on November 26, 2008. The record indicates that the bill was introduced and read for the first time. The artifact also includes transcripts of various statements by members and oral questions related to the economy, environment, and other matters, but does not contain debate specifically on Bill C-230 itself. The introduction of the bill is procedural and does not signify its passage or enactment.
We don't have a plain-language summary for Second reading yet. The official source linked below is the full record.
We don't have a plain-language summary for Consideration in committee yet. The official source linked below is the full record.
We don't have a plain-language summary for Report stage yet. The official source linked below is the full record.
We don't have a plain-language summary for Third reading yet. The official source linked below is the full record.
Debate and sitting links point to official parliamentary sources when LEGISinfo publishes them. Any plain-language discussion summaries should be generated from those official texts and reviewed before public display.
Vote Summary
This bill is still active. We only show vote counts after the legislature publishes a recorded division.
No published representative vote breakdown
This bill is still moving through the process. When a recorded division is published, representative positions can be listed here.
Official sources
Status, sponsor, votes, and timeline on this page are drawn from these official legislative sources and public records. Each summary above is attributed to its own source.
How this data is sourced