Laws and Regulations

All three levels of government - municipal, provincial and federal - enact laws intended to govern how we treat animals.

The antiquated animal cruelty section of the federal Criminal Code, passed in 1892, concerns outright cruelty and intentional or "willful" neglect – an oxymoron that is almost impossible to prove.
See www.cfhs.ca/law/.

Quebec’s provincial animal protection law, P-42, Division IV.1.1, regulates the environment in which dogs and cats are kept, and the care they receive. A not-for-profit group called ANIMA-Quebec, www.animaquebec.com is responsible for enforcing this law.

Each municipality in the Outaouais enforces its own municipal animal bylaws, which are geared to controlling "nuisance" animals. The SPCA de l’Outaouais, www.spca-outaouais.org, enforces the animal bylaws in several of the communities in the Outaouais including Gatineau, Cantley, Chelsea, L'Ange Gardien, La Pêche, Notre Dame de la Salette, Pontiac and Val-Des-Monts.