Before I start today, I’d like to acknowledge that I will be sharing my time with my parliamentary assistant the MPP for Brampton North and the MPP for Etobicoke–Lakeshore.

It’s an honour to rise in the Legislature this morning to kick off second reading of Bill 159. Bill 159 is an act that brings forward thoughtful and specific amendments that, if passed, will enhance the Provincial Animal Welfare Services Act and, in short, this bill is titled the Preventing Unethical Puppy Sales Act, or what we like to call the PUPS Act.

Because our government of Ontario stands as a national leader in the protection of animals, today we’re taking a stand against unethical dog breeding practices. This act seeks to crack down on puppy mill operations and the horrific distress and harm that results from them across the province.

As I begin to talk about why we’re here today and why we’re debating this today, I want to go back to public safety, because public safety is our government’s priority—to ensure that we all have a right, just like we did today, to leave for this Legislature safely and, for those who still have kids at home, to make sure that they got off to school, and to check in on our parents as well. At the end of today, we all want to go home safely, we want to be able to shop and we want to be able to pray safely. For us and our commitment to public safety, nothing is more important, and animal welfare is just that. It’s a serious part of our government’s priority of public safety.

Monsieur le Président, rien pour moi, en tant que solliciteur général, n’est plus important que la sécurité de notre province. Nous vivons une époque sans précédent, mais nous avons des opportunités toutes aussi uniques. Nous continuerons de faire ce qui est difficile, et nous continuerons de réaliser ce qui est difficile, pour assurer la sécurité de notre province. Et, je tiens à rendre hommage à toutes celles et à tous ceux qui assurent la sécurité de nos collectivités.

Monsieur le Président, pour moi, c’est l’honneur de servir, l’honneur d’apprendre et l’honneur d’écouter.

Qui dit Ontario sécuritaire dit Ontario fort.

A safe Ontario is a strong Ontario. This includes why we’re here today. We’re here today to talk about a government that has prioritized the seriousness of animal welfare. We’ve prioritized a seriousness in conversation on the expectation that we have of Ontarians and everyone coming into Ontario to understand where we stand and how we stand when it comes to caring for our animals and our pets and considering them loved ones and our own families. This is important.

But Mr. Speaker, you won’t find the term “puppy mill” in the law or on the books, neither in Canada nor in the US. But the horrors these types of operations inflict on dogs are well known, and it’s not right. A puppy mill is a general term used to describe a dog breeder that engages in overbreeding of dogs, neglect and the absence of proper care and attention, causing immense suffering to innocent creatures, to innocent animals.

Puppy mills are a world apart from the thousands of responsible dog breeders who put a great amount of time and care and planning into breeding their dogs. They invest in quality kennels and other supports such as veterinary care. They’re selective in the dogs they breed and routinely screen for potential buyers in a good way to ensure that animals are going to a good home.

While puppy mill is a colloquial term, the effects these operations have on dogs can be devastating. Dogs in puppy mills are often locked up in cages and badly treated. Sometimes they’re sick and undernourished.

I’m looking around the chamber this morning. So many of my colleagues are proud owners of dogs, and they care for them like their own family because they are family. But puppy mills have a connotation—again, it is this colloquial term that these operations can be devastating to the dogs.

What makes matters worse is that every day, Ontarians are unknowingly purchasing dogs out of these facilities with intentions of adding new members to their family—please, God, those dogs should be with the family for a very long time—only to be a victim of purchasing an unhealthy animal that may require extensive veterinary care over the course of its life.

Again, I want to draw and delineate the distinction between people who are buying dogs or acquiring dogs or adopting dogs from wonderful, wonderful people who do this legitimately. We’re not talking about those people; we’re talking about the people who are unethical, and that’s why we’re here today.

The animals themselves do not deserve to be treated as victims just because they’re born. The harsh reality is that dogs in puppy mills are unlikely to experience proper animal welfare standards during their critical first few months of life, first few days of life. This can lead to extensive health issues down the road. It’s time for the operators who are making huge profits off the industry to face the consequences of their abuse and shameful practices.

I think it’s noteworthy that everyone here this morning takes a moment to think of their own pets. In my family, we don’t have a dog. We have a rabbit that my daughter adopted when she was very young—now she’s in fourth year at Queen’s University—but that rabbit has become part of our family. If we had adopted a dog, we would treat it with the same degree of seriousness.

There is not a clear picture of how many puppy mills exist in the province due to the often hidden nature of these operations. These are clandestine operations, in some cases. What we do know for a fact is that puppy mills have become a growing industry in the province, and it’s time to provide our authoritative body of animal welfare inspectors with the tools they need to fight back against this troubling issue.

Online advertising and sale platforms make it easy for dog breeders to run unethical puppy mill operations. Whatever is driving the growth in puppy mills, it has to end.

Our government is introducing amendments to the Provincial Animal Welfare Services Act, a piece of legislation that I’m proud of. I’m proud that we have something on our books called the PAWS Act. I’m proud that our government stands up every day for the people, for our animal welfare inspectors, who get dressed in the morning, go to work and help ensure that our animals are treated fairly. When we look at the numbers of what they’ve done just in the last few years, it’s astounding, and they will continue to ensure that the standard, the expectation, the message of how we must treat our animals is adhered to.

The proposed bill will create new definitions of “dog” and “transfer,” and provide greater clarity in the legislation. If passed, this bill will create more tools—this Provincial Animal Welfare Services Act—and the amendments will create more tools to stop harmful practices associated with puppy mills and penalize those who are abusing dogs in this regard, and make sure that dogs across the province receive the proper care and attention they deserve.

Let me give some context and some background to the Provincial Animal Welfare Services Act or the PAWS Act. Before I outline in greater detail the proposed Preventing Unethical Puppy Sales Act, or the PUPS Act, I’d like to provide a bit of background and clarity to this House.

Our government was the first in Canada—and I spoke about this a few minutes ago—to create a full provincially run, government-based animal welfare enforcement system. And I want to give a shout-out to our Premier because he made it happen. He’s a dog owner himself.

Specifically, the government’s Provincial Animal Welfare Services—PAWS—Act came into force on January 1, 2020. I want to also acknowledge my predecessor, our Deputy Premier, for her commitment to bringing that act to life. Without her personal involvement and her interest, this would have never happened. So I want to thank the member from Dufferin–Caledon, our Deputy Premier, for her work on that.

This act implemented a new enforcement model with inspectors that provide province-wide coverage, including those with specialized expertise in livestock, equines and more, and today, across the province, as I’ve already said, Ontario’s animal welfare inspectors enforce the PAWS Act.

The PAWS Act also enabled courts to impose the highest financial penalties for offenders of any Canadian province or territory. We also updated prohibitions and obligations, such as inhibiting the return of dogfighting equipment to a person who has been convicted of an offence, and we made it an offence to harm or attempt to harm a service animal or one that works with peace officers, such as a police horse or police dog.

PAWS also increased the public trust in the system by establishing new oversight of inspectors that have increased the transparency and accountability of the system, as well as one-window complaints mechanisms for the public.

The legislation has established a multidisciplinary advisory table made up of a wide range of experts, including veterinarians, agriculture representatives, academics, animal advocates and others who provide advice to the ministry on a continuing basis. That was just the start. We remain committed to creating and maintaining and enhancing a strong animal welfare system that protects animals. We appreciate the work that they do every day. I want to highlight that again: We appreciate the work that our animal welfare inspectors do every day.

In June of last year, we passed the Strengthening Safety and Modernizing Justice Act that included amendments to build on the Provincial Animal Welfare Services Act and enhance its capabilities. This act clarified Animal Care Review Board processes and permits the immediate removal of an animal by an animal welfare inspector if it is in critical distress. It also creates a requirement for animal owners and custodians to inform animal welfare services when ownership of an animal changes and provide contact information for the new caretaker in cases where there is a compliance order outstanding. This helps ensure that animal welfare issues are addressed. Owners cannot shirk their responsibilities simply by changing the name of an owner of an animal.

Further, the act improves the recovery costs incurred to provide care for animals in distress that have been removed by animal welfare services by providing greater specificity on the types of costs that go into removing an animal. And I’ll add that the proposed PUPS Act also contains clarifying amendments to the PAWS Act that build on the changes from last June and enable the use of the Ministry of Finance’s enhanced debt collection tools. People that need to pay a fine must pay that fine, and this will help animal welfare services recover unpaid debts to the crown such as animal care costs itemized in statements of account that are issued to an accused.

Owners of dogs are subject to all measures in the PAWS Act, including general prohibition against causing distress. Now, through this proposed new legislation, Ontario would become the first jurisdiction in Canada to insert the term “puppy mill” into the legislation.

You know what, Madam Speaker? I think this is really historic but let me tell you why it’s so important. Let me tell you about the landscape of dog breeding, which we know is complex. The member from Timiskaming–Cochrane will know, as a member in rural Ontario, why this is important. As I’ve previously mentioned, many kennels that could be characterized as puppy mills do not operate as a registered business, and large volumes of dog sales occur online. This is a problem—I’ve said it before; I’ll repeat it again. Potential owners may never meet a puppy’s biological parents or tour the facility where they were born or raised, and this is through no fault of their own.

I want to give a special mention to my colleague and friend from Etobicoke–Lakeshore. For many years as the parliamentary assistant to the Solicitor General, both to myself and to my predecessor, the Deputy Premier, she paid special attention and she had a surgical focus of wanting to see this PUPS Act come alive. I want to thank her so much today.

Proper dog breeding is expensive. As I noted earlier, responsible breeders often, and I might add likely always, treat their dogs like their family—ensuring that they’re housed in a comfortable, proper kennel with all the necessary conditions for them to grow and succeed. Sometimes these facilities are even located within a breeder’s home, and dogs are fed and cared for. A good dog breeder does not overbreed and will spend many hours with the new mothers and pups, making sure that they’re in good health, especially in those critical early days of life.

The term “puppy mill”—and again we have to differentiate what is an ethical breeder from an unethical breeder—is largely associated with high-volume breeders, or unethical breeders, turning out hundreds of puppies a year in substandard dog-breeding operations. Whether it’s high volume or not, whether a breeder is turning out dogs for profit or not, whether they’re enabling poor sanitary conditions and spreading of disease, as we say, the proof is in the pudding; you know when an actor is a bad actor and they need to be called out, and that’s why we’re here today.

As I’ve mentioned, all dog owners are subject to the measures outlined in the PAWS Act, and these include prohibitions against causing distress, as well as ensuring that the general standards of care are being met. In fact, this is something that applies, and I’ve said it before, to all animals that are covered by the PAWS Act, but currently there is no prohibition in the act that relates to practices that are found in a puppy mill.

For example, puppy mills are known to overbreed female dogs. Some Ontario municipalities, and even other Canadian provinces, set limits on the number of litters that an unsterilized female can have within a set time period. As an example, in 2011, the city of Toronto banned pet stores from selling puppies from puppy mills, and good for them. Responsible breeders do not sell their puppies to pet stores. But this is an Ontario-wide issue, and a patchwork of municipal bylaws is not going to solve it alone. Our government understands this. Our government takes it seriously. Our government is acting, and it’s time for our government to step in again when others have not.

The proposed Preventing Unethical Puppy Sales Act—or again, the PUPS Act—if passed, will stop harmful dog-breeding practices associated with puppy mills, impose new legislated minimum penalties and make sure that dogs across Ontario receive the care and attention they deserve.

There are so many examples that we can talk about, about what makes an unethical breeder be an unethical breeder. It’s so obvious, and yet it happens, and it’s so unfair to the animals and it’s unfair to the families who feel that they want to love that dog, but don’t know the story behind it.

Continuous breeding without appropriate breaks can also result in too many litters and overcrowding, creating unsanitary conditions and health issues for puppies that are not good. Dogs need to be psychologically capable of breeding and raising a litter. Some pre-breeding health tests, such as hip screening, can only be done once a dog is 12 months old. Giving dogs the time to mature prior to breeding allows a breeder to get to know the temperament and behavioural traits of the animal that will help make strategic and educated breeding decisions. In some circumstances, it is an industry best practice to wait until the second or even third cycle of a female dog before breeding.

This proposed act would also prohibit separating a puppy from its mother at too young of an age, and this is important. In the early weeks of a puppy’s life, they are fully dependent on their mom and will begin to learn the social skills from their mother. Experts advise that puppies should not be separated from their mother until they’re at least eight weeks old.

There are so many things that are so important that this government recognizes in animal welfare, but I think it’s the tone and it’s building on the foundation that we’ve set in place. Wherever we go in Ontario, people love their pets. This is something that we cherish. Ontario already has one of the strongest penalties of any Canadian province or territory for animal welfare violations. To encourage compliance with the proposed Bill 159, our legislation includes minimum penalties of $10,000 for violating any of the new puppy mill prohibitions and $25,000 if a violation causes a dog’s death or euthanization.

I cannot emphasize this strongly enough: The proposed legislation does not target responsible dog breeders. It targets the bad actors. Just like we say, as a government that takes public safety very seriously, if people, as an example, feel it’s all right to destabilize our community, to be a violent and repeat offender, to steal our cars, to knock in a door at 5 in the morning, to cause havoc, we know where they belong. They belong in one place. They belong in jail. We will do that, and we will throw away the key.

It’s no different for someone who can’t comply with good breeding practices. That’s why there have to be penalties. That’s why there have to be consequences. That’s why we’re here today. This proposed Preventing Unethical Puppy Sales Act, or the PUPS Act, will address this issue at the root cause of unethical dog breeding practice.

Madam Speaker, it is an important issue. Animal welfare is an important priority for this government. I’m honoured not only to serve as Solicitor General, not only to recognize how important public safety is but to acknowledge how important animal welfare is. That’s why this government, under the leadership of Premier Ford, will always look for additional ways to strengthen the animal welfare system in Ontario and to ensure that appropriate and effective measures are in place to provide animals with the protection they deserve.

Thank you to the excellent member from Essex for the question. This MPP is doing a marvellous job advocating for seniors. I was honoured to join him along with the MPP for Windsor–Tecumseh to visit the new seniors active living centres in Kingsville and Amherstburg. They will each receive $50,000 in new funding for seniors in the community. This means places like the Kingsville Community Centre can expand their activities and allow even more seniors to participate. It was amazing to see the energy of the seniors in Essex. It makes such a difference in the lives of seniors when they come together.

Mr. Speaker, everywhere I go, I see seniors so happy because they’re active, socially connected and having fun.