Senate passes bill that would ban whale, dolphin captivity in Canada - CBC NewsAfter a multi-year legislative battle, a bill to outlaw keeping cetaceans like whales and dolphins in captivity has cleared the Senate — all but ensuring the end of a once-popular theme park attraction in Canada.
S-203 — first introduced by now-retired Liberal senator Wilfred Moore in December 2015, with the backing of Green Party Leader Elizabeth May — would ban keeping and breeding these marine mammals in captivity through amendments to the Criminal Code.
Fines of up to $200,000 could be imposed on parks flouting the law — a sum set deliberately high as a deterrent.
The bill finally cleared the Red Chamber Tuesday night after nearly three years of debate and study. It now will be shuttled through the House of Commons by May.
This seems like a good step towards in terms of how we treat animals. I do not support zoos in general, but I understand why some people think they should exist. I just do not think it is reasonable or healthy or humane to keep certain types of creatures that would normally cover vast areas of the sea (or land) in a small box, and then add insult to injury by training them like show ponies.