Toronto

A Liberal MP’s bill that would ban shark fin imports and the sale of cat fur could actually change the legal status of animals in Canada, a Tory rival says.

Nathaniel Erskine-Smith says his private member’s bill, which also proposes to close loopholes in the Criminal Code to better protect animals, will in no way disrupt farming or hunting.

“This is about animal abuse, not animal use,” the Beaches-East York MP said Wednesday.

But Tory MP Robert Sopuck isn’t convinced. In a statement on his website, he calls the bill “poorly drafted” and says it could have important consequences.

“This bill proposes to move animals out of the property section of the Criminal Code and place them in the public morals section,” Sopuck wrote. “Its terms are so broad that they could place all animal use in legal jeopardy.”

A roomful of animal rights activists lauded Bill C-246 on Wednesday, as Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam joined Erskine-Smith at the Toronto Humane Society.

Photos of an amputated fin were displayed to drive home the message that when a shark’s fin is cut off, the animal is released to sink to the ocean floor and die.

Banning the cruel practice isn’t an attack on any culture, Wong-Tam says.

“It’s about protecting consumers from consuming a product that has dangerously high levels of mercury, that has virtually zero nutritional and vitamin value, and it is about ocean preservation,” she said.

As for the Criminal Code amendments, the bill proposes a new offence where anyone who causes an animal to suffer because of gross negligence — and not just wilful intent — can be prosecuted.

A debate is expected in the spring.

THE BILL HAS 3 MAJOR PROPOSALS:

Ban the import of shark fins.

Close loopholes in the Criminal Code to strengthen laws against animal abuse, animal fighting, and bestiality.

Ban the sale of cat and dog fur in Canada, and also require that animal fur and skin be labelled by source.

WHO BUYS AND SELLS CAT AND DOG FUR?

According to Humane Society International, fur from inhumanely slaughtered cats and dogs can be found in products that end up in Canada.

The group claims Canada has no labelling requirements for fur garments.

Bill C-246 would ban the sale of dog and cat fur and impose fur-labelling requirements.

According to Liberal MP Nathaniel Erskine-Smith’s office, dog and cat fur has been used in coat trim, children’s boots, toys and accessories.

The U.S. and European Union have already banned the sale of cat and dog fur, and the U.S. requires all fur products to have proper labels.