Animal cruelty is something that is near to Liberal candidate Kyle Harrietha’s heart, and on Thursday the politician made a pledge to do his best to amend the current animal cruelty laws that Canada has on the books when he addressed the Fort McMurray Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Harrietha has vowed to make prosecution of these cases under the federal law easier, and he wants to toughen up the penalties for those who engage in cruelty towards animals. Harrietha told the group “Right now, people are getting away with these offenses. It’s outrageous that we have such weak laws in this country. It’s important that we finally update this legislation, there’s been numerous attempts over many decades, and I’m going to get the job done.”

One part of the current animal cruelty laws that bothers Kyle Harrietha and many animal advocates is the the criminal code requires willful neglect in order for charges to be proven. A successful prosecution under current law requires a showing of intent, not just that an animal was neglected. According to Barbara Cartwright, the CEO for the Canadian Federation of Humane Societies, the current law is not enough. Cartwright said “Just that word alone makes it very difficult to prosecute because you have to prove intent in the mind. Just taking out the word willful, and making it negligent, would make a huge difference.” Melody Lepine, the Fort McMurray-Cold Lake NDP candidate, also weighed in by stating “Tougher laws for the cruelty that people are doing to animals is one thing, but we also have to look at…spaces and the ability for these animals to be placed in a temporary shelter.”