House passes animal welfare bill

Once the bill is enacted, a person who contravenes any provision of this section commits an offence and is liable on summary conviction to a fine of $100,000 and to imprisonment for six months

The government used its parliamentary majority to pass a bill to address the welfare of all animals on Monday even as members of the opposition maintained that it was premature and in need of much broader consultation.

The Animal Welfare Bill, which had been sent to a special select committee in February of 2017, was presented for its third reading by Minister of Social Cohesion George Norton.

Norton, who had chaired the select committee, told the House that the opposition members had raised objections to several provisions of the Bill.