Federal MP backs historic "Pet-ition" - the first petition signed by pets to reform animal welfare laws

TORONTO, Aug. 21, 2024 /CNW/ - A groundbreaking initiative to advocate for animals across Canada has received a new boost thanks to the backing of a Federal Member of Parliament. In response to Canada's antiquated Federal animal welfare laws, Mattie's Place, an award-winning volunteer-run pet rescue located in Toronto has introduced the 'Pet-ition'. The Pet-ition is a first-of-its-kind petition signed by pets to help all animals become recognized as sentient beings instead of as property.

Publically backing this movement is Member of Parliament and Toronto-Danforth representative, Julie Debrusin, who attended a Mattie's Place signing event in August, where she publically pledged her support for the cause, with plans to bring this 'Pet-ition' before the House of Commons in September.

Under Canadian Law, the explicit requirements required to sign a petition are a name, Canadian address, and unique signature. With no mention of the species of the signee, pets are technically eligible to sign as they possess all three. Using non-toxic ink to imprint their paw prints, which are genetically distinctive to each animal, pets from all corners of Canada are invited to endorse a petition that seeks to change Canadian Federal law.

"Nowhere in Canada's petition regulations does it explicitly require signatories to be human, nor does it have criteria that would exclude non-humans" said Denise Angus, Founder of Mattie's Place. "Utilizing this oversight, we've developed the Pet-ition, the first petition signed by pets themselves to champion the rights of all animals."

The campaign was officially launched at Woofstock - North America's largest dog festival - in June and has garnered significant interest and support, with over 1300 signatures to date. Throughout the summer, Mattie's Place has hosted various signing events at parks across the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and continues to collaborate with pet stores, dog shelters and other organizations nationwide to expand the reach of the Pet-ition.

Mattie's Place is calling on all animal lovers to join the movement at Pet-ition.ca.

About Mattie's Place:
Mattie's Place is a volunteer-run pet rescue founded in 2019 by Denise Angus that has a focus on rescuing at-risk Canadian pets. Learn more at mattiesplace.ca

Additional visuals and Petition are here:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1RAlgq-cNp6eMiuni0TDbIdJVJPnM7PN-?usp=sharing 

SOURCE Mattie's Place

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