The Honourable Murray Sinclair is a retired Canadian Senator, esteemed Indigenous jurist, and former law professor. In November 2020 Senator Sinclair introduced in the Senate a ground-breaking “animal rights” bill: Bill S-218, the Jane Goodall Act.
Senator Sinclair named the Bill the Jane Goodall Act. This honours the person, the spirit, and ethics of the renowned anthropologist and primatologist. Jane Goodall showed the world that animals were not just “dumb beasts” to be used and abused by us; rather, they are sentient, emotional, feeling beings.
The Jane Goodall Act will be Senator Sinclair’s
last legislative initiative of his distinguished career.
And it’s for the animals.
The Details:
What would the Jane Goodall Act do for animals? The Bill includes policies like the following:
- ban imprisoning “cetacea (whales, dolphins, porpoises), great apes, elephants, and designated animals” in captivity. “Designated animals” could mean any animals: big cats, bears, etc. The only exception would be if captivity helps an animal or species.
- make it a crime for any person to use these animals “for performance or entertainment purposes.” This means that if an animal were captive for its own welfare, they couldn’t be used to perform stunts for people or even be displayed in zoos.
- prohibit the importation of elephant ivory and elephant hunting trophies into Canada, as have other countries.
What You Can Do:
Senator Marty Klyne reintroduced the Jane Goodall Act to the Senate on March 22, 2022.
We need your help to show support for Bill S-241. We need to get as many letters, emails and phone calls of support to Senator Klyne as possible. He needs them to show his Senate colleagues the depth of public support for his Jane Goodall Act.
Here is Senator Klyne’s address, telephone number and email. Letters can be mailed postage-free.
Hon. Marty Klyne
Senate of Canada
Ottawa, ON K1A 0A4
Telephone: 613-943-7933
Fax: 613-943-7940
Email: Marty.Klyne@sen.parl.gc.ca
Please speak out for the animals today. Call Senator Klyne. Thank him for doing this, for the animals, and tell him why his Bill is so important to you.