OTTAWA, ON / AGILITYPR.NEWS / June 11, 2026 / New federal bill advances to Senate, marking a critical step toward recognizing what Humane Canada has warned for years: cruelty to animals can be part of a wider pattern of coercion, fear, and violence. 

Humane Canada is welcoming the passage of Bill C‑16, the Protecting Victims Act, through the House of Commons and congratulating the federal government and Members of Parliament for advancing the legislation to the Senate. This vote marks a significant step toward strengthening protections for animals and families affected by violence. 

Bill C-16 criminalizes the distribution of animal sexual abuse images, material that has been used to groom, manipulate, and exploit vulnerable individuals, including children and youth. It also expands protections for people whose animals are harmed or threatened as a form of coercive control, a tactic widely used in intimate partner violence and criminal harassment. 

As founder of the Canadian Violence Link Coalition, Humane Canada has long worked with multi‑sector partners to examine the connection between animal abuse and human violence, known as the Violence Link, which often manifests in intimate partner and family violence. The House vote reflects growing recognition of that relation in federal law. 

“For many Canadians, pets are family,” said Kerri Thomson, Manager, Justice & Legislative Affairs at Humane Canada. “When a pet is threatened, the entire family is at risk.” Harm or intimidation directed at a beloved animal can be used to control someone’s behaviour, prevent them from leaving, or keep them silent. University of Windsor's Animal and Interpersonal Abuse Research Group (AIPARG) has found that 89% of domestic violence survivors reported animal abuse by their partner. When the law does not recognize that dynamic, it leaves both animals and people unprotected.  

The importance of these protections has also been reinforced by recent Canadian case law. In R v Carr, 2023 ONCJ 22, where the accused had thrown his partner's dog from an 11th floor balcony during an argument, the court accepted that the killing of the animal was directly associated with the intimate partner violence, stating that "This act of animal cruelty was an extension of the intimate partner violence that [the accused] had continually inflicted upon [the accused's partner] over the course of their relationship. It was one final act of domination and malice.” R v Carr, 2023 ONCJ 22 | NCPAC Case Law Database 

Humane Canada stresses that while important progress has been made, the work is far from finished. The organization remains firmly committed to working alongside media, policymakers, and partners to ensure these critical connections are not only understood but meaningfully addressed. 

Canadians are being called on to support Bill C‑16 and urge Senators to prioritize its passage. 

“This is a critical moment,” Thomson added. “We have an opportunity to close longstanding gaps in the law and better protect animals, children, and survivors of violence."