Federal election call would put farm biosecurity, mental health bill in jeopardy: MP

CALGARY — A private member’s bill designed to help protect biosecurity on farms and the mental health of farmers has made it to the Senate, but is now in jeopardy of dying on the order paper.

Bill C-205, sponsored by Foothills MP John Barlow, would make it illegal for anyone to enter any place where animals are kept without permission.

Barlow says if a federal election is called in the coming days or weeks, as is rumoured, the bill will die on the order paper and he will have to start over again after the election.

He says this would be disappointing as he had managed to garner the support of all parties as it went through the house and committee.

After garnering support from his fellow Conservatives, Barlow was also able to get support from the NDP and Bloc, which helped get it passed in the House of Commons.


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The Liberals who voted against it in the house, eventually supported it as it passed through committee, which Barlow welcomed.

He says this will have a national focus under the Health and Animals Act.

“There are provinces like Alberta and Ontario that have gone the criminal code route and Manitoba is going through that process as well,” Barlow said.

The Conservative MP started putting this bill together after a group of protestors trespassed and staged a sit-in in a turkey barn on a farm near Fort Macleod in southern Alberta in 2019.

He says this incident threatened the biosecurity of the farm, breaking several regulations put in place by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to ensure animal safety.

WATCH: Four activists were charged following a protest on a turkey farm in Alberta in 2019.

“They (the protesters) were on a hog farm in Abbotsford the week before, so they could have easily brought a virus from the farm in Abbotsford, B.C. to a farm here in Alberta.”

He adds this can not be tolerated as it can also affect a producer’s mental health.

“There has to be a line in the sand. You can not break into private property, break into barns or buildings, harass a farmer and also threaten the livelihood of that family.”

The bill makes it so anyone found guilty of an indictable offence could face up to a $250,000 fine, while an organization could see up to $500,000 in fines if found responsible for orchestrating that event.

Barlow says if an election is called, he is promising to start over at square one with the bill this fall.

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