Loki’s Gift

For those of you who have not spent much time searching the Net on the situation here in the Northwest Territories, you likely missed seeing this:  from CJCD100 Online. http://www.cjcd.ca/archives.boa?start=80 Note that MLA David Ramsay mentions looking to other jurisdictions for up-to-date legislation.  Early in my campaign for very real Animal Protection for the Northwest Territories, I sent via registered mail, every APA from across Canada to the GNWT in order that these individual Provincials Acts and the Yukon’s,  may be used as a template. The Federal Criminal Code of Canada Animal Cruelty Laws were also sent to them in this package.   The Federal Criminal Code of Canada is the Law of Canada and irregardless that the NT does not have an effective APA in place, the Federal Laws of Canada do apply to everyone anywhere in Canada.   My campaign for an APA for the NT began in the summer of 2007 and as I state in the following:

“Most definitely that span of time should have seen some positive change forthcoming..thus far it has not”. Excerpt from my recent email to three of the MLA’s supporting Animal Protection.

While discussions on the Amendments to the Current NWT Dog Act closed this past summer, and while the GNWT received a detailed critique from the Animal Defense League of Canada on these proposed changes whereby the ADLC  made their own recommendations , (I did as well) and despite letters which I have received from the Ministers of Justice and Municipal and Community Affairs reassuring me that the Amended Dog Act (as “an interim measure” while they continue to work on a comprehensive APA) would soon be in place (first by Fall and most recently now January 2010);  as MLA D. Ramsay points out it is now November.  My question and it should be yours as well….What is the Problem?  Why as pointed out by Mr. Ramsay has this not gone to committee yet?  Personally,  I would like to know just who is  sitting on this critical piece of legislation and why? You should want to know that as well. Note that in this recent email of November 21, 2009 to the MLA’s who are supporting the APA I provided internet links on the research done proving the  Animal Cruelty and Human Violence Connection as recognized by policing authorities around the world. Links to these studies were provided in a recent Blog that you can check out yourselves.

Further excerpt from my recent email to MLA’s:

“Granted that one may cite the government process is slow and that there may be issues considered to be far more pressing, the issue of Animal Cruelty in the NT is one which will not go away.  It is an issue that has drawn a very negative light upon the NT (both in Canada and globally) and private citizens who have approached me, who report incidents to me, who raise the question why the Animal Cruelty Laws contained in the Federal Criminal Code of Canada are not being properly utilized, why the provisions under the current archaic Dog Act are not being utilized and why Municipal By-Laws are not being enforced.  They are disheartened, fed up and want to see positive change.  They want to believe and feel confident that when they report incidents of animal cruelty to Town officials and RCMP that their complaints and reports will be taken seriously, not dismissed as irrelevant or told that other case loads are precident. They want to see animals in crisis seized and given the proper care needed, they want to see offenders facing charges and not just receiving a mere slap on the wrist.  They want to see a stop put to abandoned, starving, beaten, neglected, heads being bashed in, shooting and throats being slashed.”

“It is imperative that positive change be implemented now, not when the time can be found to dedicate to committee reviews. “

I am eagerly waiting for a response to this letter emailed yesterday November 21, 2009.

Please be aware that ‘Action for the Protection of Northern Animals’ is now a new Group on Facebook, all those who wish to raise their own voices and awareness of this crisis situation in the NT are invited to join.  Your comments of support will greatly aid the cause in getting this needed legislation, the animals cannot wait any longer.