Federal Government Responds to Petition Calling for the End of Rescue Dog Import Ban

The Government of Canada has tabled a response to petition e-4122, which called for an end to the federal government’s ban on importing rescue dogs from over one hundred countries. The response, submitted by the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, the Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau, states that: “This recent measure was implemented in response to the importation of dogs infected with dog rabies, and resulting calls from federal and provincial public health officials to strengthen importation measures in Canada for dogs from countries at high risk for dog rabies.” This rationale has been criticized by animal welfare organizations, who claim the ban is overly broad and argue that the Canadian Food Inspection Agency failed to consider alternative rabies prevention measures, such as vaccines, antibody tests, and quarantines.