VICTORY! Bill to End Whale and Dolphin Captivity

UPDATE: This bill has successfully passed in Canada!

BACKGROUND OF THE BILL AND PREVIOUS ACTIONS:

There is no ethically defensible reason for capturing and imprisoning whales and dolphins in zoos or marine parks. Canada could take a major step to end this kind of cruelty.

The Bill would “prohibit the taking of a cetacean [whales and dolphins] into captivity and … prohibit the import of a cetacean into Canada and the export of a cetacean from Canada.”

Make sure this long overdue bill passes! Whales and dolphins suffer terribly in captivity. This must all happen before the government breaks for the summer in 2019 and we need your help to push this through.

About the Bill

  • Over a dozen other jurisdictions around the world have already banned keeping some or all cetaceans in tanks, including Mexico, France, South Carolina, and California.
  • Ontario banned keeping orca whales in 2015, and the Vancouver Park Board voted to ban cetacean display and captivity at the Vancouver Aquarium in 2017.
  • After passing Bill S-203, the Senate also voted in favour of Bill S-238, the Ban on Shark Fin Importation Act, sponsored by Conservative Senator Michael MacDonald. Bill S-238 also has strong support across party lines.
  • Read more about S-203.

How You Can Help

  1. Contact your federal Member of Parliament (search by postal code) and urge them to finalize Bill S-203. Hand-written letters and phone calls are best. Letters can be mailed postage-free but you can also send an email using the template above.
  2. Use this sample email to email the Minister of Fisheries – Jonathan Wilkinson.
  3. Sign the petition from the Green Party of Canada and Animal Justice
  4. Share this post with others!