Policies - Animal Issues

Approved: 17 January 2025

Whereas:

The live export of horses from Canada to Japan for slaughter exposes these animals to prolonged transportation conditions that often do not meet humane standards, causing significant suffering and distress ¹;
Investigative reports reveal that in many cases, animal welfare legislation is not being met, resulting in illegal practices and putting the animals at increased risk ²;
The Liberal Government included a ban on live horse export on their 2021 election platform, and Prime Minister Trudeau later sent a mandate letter to the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Business requesting immediate action on the ban ³; and
More than two thirds of Canadians oppose the live horse export for slaughter industry and are strongly in favor of a ban⁴;

Be It Resolved:

The Green Party of Manitoba supports:

An immediate ban on the export of horses from Manitoba for the purpose of slaughter, to protect their welfare and prevent inhumane treatment;
In light of current national efforts, that relevant authorities in Canada ban the live shipment of horses;
All stakeholders involved in the horse export industry, including breeders, owners, and transporters, receive support towards immediately transitioning their industry away from horse production and horse exportation; and
Public awareness campaigns be launched to educate the public about the live horse export for slaughter industry.

Approved: 17 January 2027

Whereas:

Minks are sentient, wild, far-ranging, semi-aquatic, solitary animals who are crowded into small, barren wire cages on fur “farms,” stressing and weakening their immune systems ¹;
COVID-19 is a bi-directional zoonosis that has been transmitted from humans to “farmed” minks and then back to humans allowing it to incubate with the risk of the development of variants of concern ²;
Seventy-five percent of emerging infectious diseases affecting humans are zoonotic (i.e. originating in fellow animals) ³;
Due to public health and environmental risks such as water contamination from waste and the potential for escaped minks to disrupt local ecosystems, the practice of “farming” minks is being banned in jurisdictions across the globe with British Columbia being the first in North America to do so ⁴;
The demand for fur, a luxury item, is dropping due to animal welfare concerns and an increasing number of designers and retailers are going fur free ⁵; and
The number of mink “farms” in Manitoba has been in steady decline along with the average price per pelt ⁶;

Be It Resolved:

The Green Party of Manitoba supports:

The phasing out and banning of mink “farms” in Manitoba; and
A just transition working with those in the industry to find alternative, green opportunities.

Approved: 27 February 2022

Whereas:

It is estimated that there are between 25-30,000 black bears in Manitoba^{1, 2};
MB doesn’t actively monitor black bear populations³;
Bears have their litters in spring, and bear cubs need to remain with their mother for approximately 16-17 months to ensure survival of the cubs⁴;
Banning the killing of female bears accompanied by cubs is, for practical purposes, unenforceable;
Approximately 4000 bears are legally killed in MB each year, about 50% of which is normally conducted by foreign-based hunters⁵;
The government of Manitoba does not track the number of female bears killed during the spring bear hunt;
In Ontario, approximately one third of the bears killed during the Ontario spring bear hunt are female⁶;
There is no ceiling on the number of black bear hunting licences available to purchase in a given year⁷;
Bears lose considerable weight during hibernation and are in a weakened state when they emerge from hibernation in the spring;
Bear hunting typically involves using food bait, often human food containing sugar, to attract bears;
Bear habituation to human food is a common cause of bear-human conflict;
There are human, non-lethal methods to minimize bear-human conflict⁸; and
The spring bear hunt is not an effective strategy for addressing bear-human conflict;

Be It Resolved:

The Green Party of Manitoba will:

Work to improve the wildlife existence in this province by increasing protection for critical habitat;
Ban logging and mining in provincial parks, and increase the percentage of Manitoba’s forests which remain undisturbed;
Call for a ban on the spring bear hunt which leaves so many orphaned bear cubs each spring;
Work with those who depend on trapping in order to feed their families; and
Raise awareness and support the use of humane methods which reduce animal suffering.

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