UPDATE Oct. 20
Humane Voters Canada congratulated the seven successful candidates it endorsed in Canada federal election. The winners – Don Davies, Fin Donnelly, Nathaniel Erskine-Smith, Hedy Fry, Mark Holland, Brian Masse and Elizabeth May – have all worked to put animal rights on the national agenda. We’ll wait to see with Liberal Prime Minister-designate Justin Trudeau does on the critter file once he’s sworn in.
***
Canada is nearing the end of a very long federal election campaign. Most of the campaign, which kicked off Aug. 2, has been dominated by the state of the economy, with a smattering of foreign policy.
But Humane Voters Canada wants voters to think about animal protection when they go to the ballot box on Oct. 19.
The group, an offshoot of Animal Justice Canada Legislation Fund, which spends much of its time trying to get animal rights enshrined in law, has now endorsed eight candidates on election day. They are candidates who have a track record of backing everything from banning the import of shark fins and fin whales to better monitoring and treatment of farm animals to ending the controversial commercial seal hunt and strengthening federal animal cruelty laws.
“Humane Voters Canada is proud to support politicians of all stripes who show a firm commitment to advancing animals’ interests in Parliament,” Jerry Simonelli, director of Humane Voters, said in a statement. “Polling consistently shows Canadians want to vote for politicians who take animal issues seriously. Having a strong, cross-partisan caucus of MPs is key to improving life for animals in Canada.”
Humane Voters Canada is throwing its weight behind politicians from all three main parties, as well as the leader of the Green Party. Here are their picks:
Don Davies – incumbent NDP candidate in Vancouver—Kingsway
Fin Donnelly – incumbent NDP candidate in New Westminster—Coquitlam
Rick Dykstra – incumbent Conservative candidate in St. Catharines.
Nathaniel Erskine-Smith – Liberal candidate in Beaches—East York
Hedy Fry – incumbent Liberal candidate for Vancouver Centre
Mark Holland – Liberal candidate in Ajax
Brian Masse – incumbent NDP candidate in Windsor West
Elizabeth May – incumbent Green Party candidate in Saanich—Gulf Islands
