Senators spar over bill banning horse export to Japan, animal advocates fear time is running out

A Manitoba senator who has passionately spoken about banning the practice of exporting horses by air for slaughter in Japan says he won't accept an invitation to come and see a shipment of horses being loaded onto a plane at the Winnipeg airport. 

Meanwhile, animal advocates are worried that continuing debate in the Red Chamber about Bill C-355 will run into a federal election call and cause the bill to die. 

On Dec. 5, Independent Sen. Charles Adler pleaded to his colleagues to support the bill, which would prohibit exporting horses by air for slaughter, and send it to committee before the Senate rises for the holidays later this week.

"Once the doors are closed in Canada and the plane is in the air, Canada, the department that is responsible has absolutely no way of knowing what happens to those horses," Adler said. "Canadian inspectors are not present on the flights or on the ground when those horses arrive at their destination so Canada relies entirely on local authorities overseas to tell us if there was a death or an injury during transportation.

"There is a high probability these horses will suffer or sustain an injury during this process or worse."

But Adler refused a challenge issued by another Manitoba senator, Conservative Don Plett, to join him at the Winnipeg airport very early Monday morning to see horses being loaded onto a plane leaving for Japan. 

"You insinuated, Senator Adler, that these horses are suffering on the tarmac. They are being cruelly put into crates where they cannot turn around, where they cannot lay down, which isn't true," Plett following Adler's statement. 

"I invite you to come with me on Dec. 16 to the Winnipeg Airport and see exactly that."

Growing concerns over delays

Adler confirmed to CBC News he won't join Plett, who recently toured a cargo plane in Edmonton to see how the horses are treated.

"I support the bill and don't wish to do anything to distract from what matters most, alleviating the suffering of Canadian horses being transported by air on a cargo craft without heat, food, water or rest, halfway around the world," Adler wrote in a response to CBC News. 

Plett told CBC on Friday that there are still at least three senators who want to speak to the bill. As the official critic, he gets the last word. He doesn't believe there will be enough time before the holiday break because there is too much government business to get through. 

"It has always been our contention that this should all be done through regulation and not through legislation," Plett said.

That's a concern to Kaitlyn Mitchell, director of Legal Advocacy for Animal Justice. She is worried the bill is getting caught up in partisan politics and won't be passed before the next federal election.

"Going to the airport and seeing the horses is important to me because I think it's important to document that these shipments are happening," she said. "I think it's important to witness the horses suffering firsthand."

CFIA steps up monitoring of horses in transit

Animal Justice has released newly obtained documents from the Japanese government showing at least one horse died after suffering injuries during a June flight to Japan. Several others collapsed en route. 

In September, the advocacy group provided documents revealing at least 21 horses died during or in the days after being flown from Canada to Japan between May 2023 and June 2024.

That contradicts information provided by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA). In February, an agency representative told a House of Commons committee the agency is aware of only five horse deaths related to air shipments since 2013.

The CFIA told CBC News it has reviewed the documents provided by Animal Justice and, as a result, now requires exporters and air carriers to document the start and end times of each stage of shipment from Canada, as well as the total transport time.

It has received a contingency plan from the air carrier that includes measures to mitigate animal suffering in case of delays.

However, the CFIA said it found only one death and eight serious injuries that occurred in flight or were observed upon arrival between June 2023 and June 2024. The additional cases happened after the horses were in Japanese quarantine.

Canada can't compel Japan to report any incidents after the horses are off-loaded from the cargo planes so the CFIA said that won't be included in its reporting. As of September, Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) is providing Canada with that information.

Fears about delays

The regulatory agency said two CFIA officials and Canada's chief veterinary officer travelled with a shipment of horses to Japan in December. They observed all stages of the process — the loading of horses at the Alberta farm, the drive to the Edmonton airport, the transfer to the crates and being loaded onto the plane.

They flew on the plane with the horses and continued observing the process as the animals were transferred to the quarantine facility.   

While in Japan, CFIA officials met with the chief veterinary officer and MAFF officials to share information. 

But amid the political debate and government investigation, Danae Tonge of Manitoba Animal Save said she just wants the practice banned completely.

"Witnessing the horses arrive and unload is tragic and horrifying," she said.

"If Bill C-355 is not passed before the end of the session, or if an early election is called, this bill could die on the floor and we could lose all progress on it, which would be devastating."