Nathaniel Erskine-Smith’s Bill C-246 — the Modernizing Animal Protections Act — was defeated Wednesday in second reading by a vote of 198 to 84. Thirty-six New Democrats and two Conservatives — Calgary’s Michelle Rempel and Len Webber — voted in support.

A private member’s bill from a Liberal MP to strengthen Canada’s animal welfare laws has gone down in defeat after most of his Grit colleagues, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, voted against it.

(Photo: Nathaniel Erskine-Smith/Liberal Party)

A total of 117 Liberal MPs voted against the bill.

The Toronto MP told The Huffington Post Canada that he knew all along that private member’s bills don’t often become law. While many are “symbolic,” he said, his proposal tried for some substantive changes.

“The goal of a private member’s bill, first and foremost, is to put an issue on the government’s agenda that wasn’t on the government’s agenda before,” Erskine-Smith said.

The MP said he was confident that Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould will act to improve animal protection laws.

“And that’s better, in the end,” he said. “It’s better for a government to take action, consult, and have legislation that will garner the support of more members in the House.”

Sought to change several laws

His proposed legislation originally sought to ban the import of shark fins, as well as the sale of cat and dog fur in Canada. It also attempted to amend Criminal Code provisions related to animal abuse, negligence, fighting, and bestiality.

If passed, the bill would have created a new offence for individuals who cause suffering to animals through “gross negligence.” It’s currently a crime to cause animal pain through “willful” neglect, something the lawyer said is difficult for Crown prosecutors to prove.

Veteran Conservative MP Robert Sopuck blasted the bill shortly after it was tabled in February as “fundamentally flawed.” Sopuck also said it was an omnibus bill because of the many laws it sought to change in one shot.

Sopuck helped found the Conservative hunting and angling caucus in 2012, a group of Tory MPs who advocate for hunters, anglers, and trappers. He also serves as his party’s critic for wildlife conservation and Parks Canada.