Humane Canada is the largest national

animal welfare Animal welfare is the well-being of non-human animals. Formal standards of animal welfare vary between contexts, but are debated mostly by animal welfare groups, legislators, and academics. Animal welfare science uses measures such as longevity ...

organization in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, representing humane societies, SPCAs, and

animal rescue Animal rescue or pet rescue may refer to: * Animal rescue group, organizations dedicated to the rescue of animals, including pets, from shelters, to homes * Animal Rescue Foundation, San Francisco Bay Area based charity dedicated to pet adoption an ...

organizations. Humane Canada aims to speak with a strong national voice, promoting the welfare and humane treatment of animals and working to end animal cruelty.

History

Based in

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

, Humane Canada is a

not-for-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

organization founded in 1957. Some of its founders were Richard Taylor, president of the

Ottawa Humane Society The Ottawa Humane Society (1888 to present) is the humane society for Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Background The Ottawa Humane Society is a non-profit organization, community-based organization and a registered charitable organization, ''Charity R ...

; Alne Cameron, former Veterinary Director General for Canada and president of the Ottawa Humane Society; Senator Frederic McGrand; and former lawyer Gord Gunn, who had witnessed the suffering of horses in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. Currently, the organization is led by Chief Executive Officer Barbara Cartwright, who joined Humane Canada in July 2011. Recent prior CEOs include: Steve Carrol (2006-2011) and Robert Van Tongerloo (2000-2005). In 2018 the organization rebranded its name to Humane Canada, though its legal name remains the Canadian Federation of Humane Societies.

Programs

Humane Canada's program work focuses on

companion animals A pet, or companion animal, is an animal kept primarily for a person's company or entertainment rather than as a working animal, livestock, or a laboratory animal. Popular pets are often considered to have attractive appearances, intelligence ...

livestock Livestock are the domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to provide labor and produce diversified products for consumption such as meat, eggs, milk, fur, leather, and wool. The term is sometimes used to refer solely to animals ...

and

legislation Legislation is the process or result of enrolled bill, enrolling, enactment of a bill, enacting, or promulgation, promulgating laws by a legislature, parliament, or analogous Government, governing body. Before an item of legislation becomes law i ...

. The organization works to improve legislation to improve the prosecution of some animal abusers. The Federation works with the Canadian livestock sector to improve standards of care for animals on farm, as well as in

transit Transit may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film * ''Transit'' (1979 film), a 1979 Israeli film * ''Transit'' (2005 film), a film produced by MTV and Staying-Alive about four people in countries in the world * ''Transit'' (2006 film), a 2006 ...

and at slaughter. As a founding member of the National Companion Animal Coalition, Humane Canada has been involved in setting the standard for

microchip An integrated circuit or monolithic integrated circuit (also referred to as an IC, a chip, or a microchip) is a set of electronic circuits on one small flat piece (or "chip") of semiconductor material, usually silicon. Large numbers of tiny ...

identification for pets, and has worked on such issues as dog bite prevention,

puppy mill A puppy mill, also known as a puppy farm, is a commercial dog breeding facility characterized by quick breeding and poor conditions. Although no standardized legal definition for "puppy mill" exists, a definition was established in ''Avenson v. ...

s and municipal bylaws for dogs and cats. Humane Canada is also a member of the Animal Welfare Committee of the

Canadian Veterinary Medical Association The Canadian Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA) (french: Association canadienne des médecins vétérinaires, ACMV), founded in 1876, provides leadership on national veterinary issues, advocates for animal welfare, and works to encourage life b ...

National Animal Welfare Conference

The organization holds national animal welfare conferences. The 2014 conference included presentations by

Jane Goodall Dame Jane Morris Goodall (; born Valerie Jane Morris-Goodall on 3 April 1934), formerly Baroness Jane van Lawick-Goodall, is an English primatologist and anthropologist. Seen as the world's foremost expert on chimpanzees, Goodall is best kn ...

, veterinarian Michelle Lem on a Community Veterinary Outreach Program in Ontario, and a discussion of trap-neuter-return to humanely reduce community cat populations. Animal testing was also discussed. The 2015 conference took place in May in

Richmond, British Columbia Richmond is a coastal city in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia, Canada. It occupies almost the entirety of Lulu Island (excluding Queensborough), between the two estuarine distributaries of the Fraser River. Encompassing the ad ...

Funding

Humane Canada does not receive any government funding. It relies on donations from the public,

corporate sponsorship Sponsoring something (or someone) is the act of supporting an event, activity, person, or organization financially or through the provision of products or services. The individual or group that provides the support, similar to a benefactor, is k ...

and some membership fees to fund its programs.

Governance

Humane Canada is governed by a

volunteer Volunteering is a voluntary act of an individual or group freely giving time and labor for community service. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work, such as medicine, education, or emergency rescue. Others serve ...

-based Board of Directors. Board members may be employed by member societies. The members of the Board meet four times each year (two face-to-face, two conference calls), while both the Executive and Finance Committees meet monthly. The CFHS website maintains a current list of directors.

Membership

In 2013, the organization's members included 45 animal welfare organizations, humane societies and

SPCA A Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) is a common name for non-profit animal welfare organizations around the world. The oldest SPCA organization is the RSPCA, which was founded in England in 1824. SPCA organizations operate i ...

s operating across Canada.

Publications

* ''Animal Welfare in Focus'' is the organization's newsletter. Past issues are available online. A monthly e-newsletter is also available for subscription. * In February 2014, in conjunction with

World Spay Day World Spay Day advocates spaying, or neutering, advocating it "as a proven means of saving the lives of companion animals, community (feral and stray) cats, and street dogs who might otherwise be put down in a shelter or killed on the street." It is ...

, the CFHS published ''The Case for Accessible Spay/Neuter in Canada'', which "illuminates the lack of accessible spay/neuter in communities across the country and what can be done about it." *''Cats in Canada: A comprehensive Report on the Cat Overpopulation crisis'' was published in 2012. *Position statements have been published on numerous issues, such as animals in entertainment,

euthanasia Euthanasia (from el, εὐθανασία 'good death': εὖ, ''eu'' 'well, good' + θάνατος, ''thanatos'' 'death') is the practice of intentionally ending life to eliminate pain and suffering. Different countries have different eut ...

of companion animals, and surgical mutilation."Position statements"
, CFHS, accessed Oct. 5, 2014.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Animal welfare organizations based in Canada Animal charities based in Canada