Greenbook

Animals in Research, Testing and Education G08-P101

BE IT RESOLVED that the Green Party of Canada is committed to the reduction and ultimate replacement of animal use for research, testing, and educational purposes and will: 

• make the use of animals for research, testing and educational purposes unlawful where a non-animal method or approach is reasonably or practicably available (consistent with EU Directive 86/609); 
• establish a coordinated approach to identifying alternatives to replace or reduce the use of animals for testing and research and commit resources to developing and validating non-animal test methods in coordination with parallel efforts elsewhere; 
• ensure the automatic regulatory acceptance of every non-animal test method deemed scientifically valid by the European Centre for the Validation of Alternative Methods (ECVAM) and the automatic prohibition of the animal-based test method it replaces; 
• ensure that all new or revised animal and non-animal toxicity test methods are scientifically validated before their use is required, recommended or encouraged by regulatory authorities; 
• enhance the current system of oversight consisting of voluntary guidelines and peer review administered by the Canadian Council on Animal Care, a federally regulated licensing program, whereby prospective animal users must apply to a federal Animal & Alternatives Research Review Board, which will be responsible for 
• (i) evaluating the costs and benefits of the proposed research, 
• (ii) rigorously assessing the availability of non-animal methods or approaches, 
• (iii) granting or denying a project license, and 
• (iv) where a license is granted, monitoring compliance with animal care standards; and 
• improve government and industry accountability and public access to information regarding the use of animals for research, testing and educational purposes in Canada. 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Green Party of Canada will end the most egregious forms of animal use including: 

• the mandatory surrender of dogs and cats from municipal pounds and animal shelters (known as “pound seizure”); 
• all use of non-human primates; 
• genetic manipulation and cloning; 
• invasive psychological and behavioural research; 
• substance abuse research; 
• warfare research; 
• the use of animals to assess the safety of personal care and household cleaning products, as defined by the Coalition for Consumer Information on Cosmetics; 
• animal-based tests for skin corrosion, skin irritation, skin absorption, phototoxicity, pyrogenicity, genetic toxicity, to be replaced by scientifically validated non-animal methods; 
• “lethal dose” toxicity studies on vertebrates (including all acute LD50 and LC50 studies), in which animals are literally poisoned to death; 
• dissection and other animal-based labs in primary, secondary and undergraduate/college education; 
• use of animals in science fairs; 
• and university dog labs. 

Animals in Transport G08-P103

BE IT RESOLVED that the Green Party of Canada will work to improve conditions for animals during transport by: 

• reducing the total allowable road transport time of animals destined for slaughter or further fattening to eight hours or 500 km or whichever is less; 
• clearly defining “fitness to travel” and prohibiting the transport of those animals in an advanced state of pregnancy and unable to walk without assistance (except when under veterinary license and for the purposes of veterinary treatment); 
• ensuring solipeds are only transported in individual compartments on single deck trucks; 
• mandating adequate protection from the elements at all times for animals in transport; 
• ensuring all vehicles allow adequate inspection of each animal at all times; 
• ensuring all drivers of livestock vehicles receive training and independent competence assessment; 
• prohibiting the use of electric prods, clubs and other inhumane equipment to control or move animals while in transport; 
• substantially increasing the number of Canadian Food Inspection Agency inspectors with responsibility for monitoring the implementation of transport legislation; 
• ensuring that all transports of animals for breeding, exhibition etc., which are longer than eight hours are in enhanced vehicles, with a forced ventilation system or air-conditioning, and that animals transported for longer than eight hours are given sufficient space to lie down (all at the same time); 
• ensuring an official veterinarian is present during loading and unloading for journeys of longer than eight hours to ensure all animals are fit for travel and the stocking density is correct. 

Animals in Entertainment G08-P100

BE IT RESOLVED that the Green Party of Canada will follow the example of Sweden, Austria, Costa Rica, India, Finland, Singapore and over thirty Canadian municipalities by 

• prohibiting the use of wild animals in circuses, novelty acts, traveling shows and other temporary spectacles; 
• prohibit all spectacles, animal shows and presentations that involve injuring, baiting, fighting, intimidation, harassment, causing fear and/or other negative actions that are potentially harmful to the animals involved; 
• prohibit spectacles that involve the fighting and baiting of animals, including bullfights, cock fights, and dog fights,;
• establish a national law requiring all zoos to be licensed, to operate at a professional standard, be subject to strict animal welfare and public safety regulations, and regular reviews and inspections; 
• prohibit the importation of marine mammals for public display in zoos, marine parks and aquariums; 
• prohibit the importation of wild animals for public display and entertainment purposes; 
• prohibit the captive breeding of animals in zoos and marine parks except for verifiable conservation purposes; 
• establish strict animal welfare and public safety regulations for the use of wild animals in film and television productions; 
• and establish retirement/sanctuary facilities for wild animals seized by federal, provincial and municipal law enforcement agencies. 

Animals in Slaughterhouses G08-P102

BE IT RESOLVED the Green Party of Canada will work to improve conditions for animals in slaughterhouses by: 

· requiring that meat packers use amperage, voltage, frequency and pneumatic settings on stunning equipment which will reliably induce unconsciousness; 

· requiring ongoing maintenance of stunning equipment, restraint systems, gates and other animal handling equipment; 

· substantially increasing the number of Canadian Food Inspection Agency inspectors with responsibility for monitoring the implementation of slaughter legislation; 

· ensuring all slaughterhouse employees must receive training and independent competence assessments; 

· banning electric prods, clubs and other inappropriate weapons; 

· requiring that a veterinarian be present during unloading; 

· ensuring all downers be euthanized on the truck prior to being moved; 

· ensuring electric and captive bolt stunning to bleed intervals be based on science-derived parameters and be respected at all times. 

Banning Trophy Hunting  G08-P110

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Green Party of Canada will prohibit all hunting of wild or domestic animals in Canada for trophies. The Green Party of Canada does not oppose subsistence hunting of wild animals. 

Parliamentary Committee on Animal Welfare G08-P107

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Green Party of Canada will establish a Parliamentary Committee on Animal Welfare tasked with examining legislation affecting animal concerns and dealing with the animal welfare community, creating a place in Parliament where animal welfare issues can be properly researched and debated and recommendations made as required. 

Commercial Trade in Wild Animal Parts G08-P105

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Green Party of Canada will: 

• prohibit any industry involving single organ trade; 
• remove federal subsidies from the fur and sealing industries; increase monitoring and enforcement budgets; 
• work with traditional medicine practitioners to promote alternatives to wild animal ingredients. 

Animal Welfare G08-P005

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that Green Party MPs will sponsor legislation that:

• makes the acts of cruelty to animals an offence under the criminal code and not a property offence; clearly defines in this legislation an animal as "A vertebrate other than a human being;"
• changes the term "willful neglect" of animals in the current legislation to simply "neglect" with "neglect" defined as "departing markedly from the standard of care that a reasonable person would use" so as to make convictions under the act more achievable; 
• makes it an offence to kill any animal without a lawful reason; 
• makes it an offence to train an animal to fight and receive money for animal fighting and training; 
• bans the use of animals as experimental objects in military research and cosmetic testing; and 
• bans the importation of animals for zoos except where the importation will assist the overall conservation of that species.