A grass-roots movement to speak for a constituency that can’t speak for itself is trying to make it presence felt as Canadians head to the Oct. 19 federal election.
That long-time muted constituency? Animals of all stripes and sizes, be they domestic, wild or farmed.
Last weekend in Toronto, the Animal Justice Canada Legislative Fund launched Humane Voters Canada, a project the organization hopes will put animal protection issues on the political map.
Humane Voters is non-partisan, but its purpose is clear: to advance animal protection by putting pressure on politicans one riding at a time.
Organizers say public opinion polls consistently show that Canadians overwhelmingly support animal protection issues, but not enough Canadian politicians are doing the job when it comes to protecting animals.
Humane Voters is led by co-directors Jerry Simonelli and Camille Labchuk. Both are lawyers with substantial legislative and political experience, which they plan to put to good use.
Mr. Simonelli spoke by phone with RCI from his home in Windsor, Ontario.
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