| ]The Canadian Kennel Club (CKC) is deeply disappointed that Nova Scotia Bill 27 was passed, despite opposition comments on the bio security concerns of farmers and the public, lack of stakeholder input, and the increased power of the local enforcement agency. Members of the opposition made a motion to delay Bill 27 for six months in order for more consultation and stakeholder input to be gathered; the motion to delay was defeated.
Since the hasty introduction of Nova Scotia Bill 27 on September 13, the CKC—led by Lendra Barker, Director for Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador, and local members, have been engaging with members of the legislative assembly in an effort to suspend the legislation, in favour of stakeholder consultations that would include CKC.
As the Canadian authority and proponent for the health and welfare of purebred dogs, CKC has worked with, and participated in consultations with municipalities and provincial legislatures such as British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec, in the area of responsible dog ownership and dog breeding, to support the development of well-crafted, fair laws. However, we were very disappointed that we were not invited to participate in the consultation process, given that these amendments will affect thousands of CKC members, purebred dogs and dog owners.
CKC’s main concern with Bill 27 is in a number of language updates from the previous bill that lack clarity and leave much room for interpretation. These changes:
- Strip owners of the rights that come with ownership by changing the word “Owner” to “Custodian” and including “any person who has possession of the animal” in the new definition;
- Give the provincial enforcement agency greater freedom to trespass on private property, to demand that pets in a home be produced for inspection, and enter any dwelling that is not a private home at any time, without probable cause;
- Allow an inspector to pull over operators of moving vehicles and vessels without probable cause; and
- Allow an inspector to enter on or pass over any land or water enclosed or not, without liability and without the owner’s right to object—without probable cause.
CKC would like to thank all our members for their support and their actions both locally and from across the country. Your voices were heard and represented by a number of MLAs, but the Ministry was determined to pass the bill.
The reality now is that the local enforcement agency has increased powers regarding the search and seizure of animals and the practice of cropping, docking and dewclaw removal is no longer permitted in Nova Scotia. Our next steps are to seek clarification of the interpretation of the law with local enforcement. Please watch for an update as more information becomes available.
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