2009 Canadian Animal Protection Laws Rankings™
May 20th, 2009A new report by the Animal Legal Defense Fund underscores the often considerable differences that exist between the animal protection laws of the provinces and territories. ALDF’s second annual report, the only one of its kind in Canada, ranked each jurisdiction on the relative strength and comprehensiveness of their current animal protection laws.
In a dramatic move, Ontario, which last year had the infamous distinction of ranking lowest in the nation for its animal protection laws, moved from worst to first this year due to a host of new laws, including standards of care for animals, requiring veterinarians to report suspected offences, higher penalties, and restrictions on the future ownership of animals by offenders.
“Our report moves beyond the federal laws to identify what each province and territory is doing individually for animal protection,” says Stephan Otto, ALDF’s director of legislative affairs and author of the report. “We continue to see a wide range of disparity across the country. However, regardless of where each jurisdiction currently ranks in the report, all still have room for improvement. It is our hope that these ongoing reviews help shed light on this important issue and garner support for both their strengthening and enforcement.”
>> Download the full report (PDF)
>> Download the Canadian rankings map
2009 Canadian Animal Protection Laws Rankings
Comparing Overall Strength & Comprehensiveness
| Best | Ontario |
| Worst | Northwest Territories & Nunavut |
| Top Tier | British Columbia, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, Ontario |
| Middle Tier | Alberta, Newfoundland & Labrador, Prince Edward Island, Yukon, Saskatchewan |
| Bottom Tier | New Brunswick, Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Quebec |
The full report (PDF),
including a rankings map and overview of the strengths and weaknesses
of the animal protection laws of each province and territory, is
available to download here. ALDF’s latest edition of the "Animal Protection Laws of the U.S.A. and Canada" compendium (on which the report is principally based) and ALDF's Model Animal Protection Laws collection, is also available.
2009 Canadian Animal Protection Laws Rankings Map Downloads
PDF, Color | Download Map
JPG, Black & White, 150 dpi | Download Map
JPG, Color, 150 dpi | Download Map
Annual Animal Protection Laws Rankings Reports
United
States: 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012
Canada: 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012
