On October 7th a group of fourteen Pets Canada Members and staff went to Parliament for our second annual Hill Day to meet with Members of Parliament. Removing the GST from pet food and including pets in national emergency planning strategies were two main points of discussion with the addition of small business challenges and international trade issues.
Our delegate teams met 15 MPs and two Senators throughout the day. When it came to food security for pets and the safety of pets and their families in emergency situations we had their undivided attention. Here are just some of the numbers we shared with them.
Progress on Every Front
Our delegates seized the opportunity to address the serious repercussions of the Chinese embargo on Canadian pet food exports. This embargo is forcing businesses to relocate to the U.S., taking valuable jobs with them. During our discussions, MPs expressed significant concern over the exodus of Canadian businesses and the resulting loss of nearly $300 million to the Canadian economy. The gravity of this issue was evident, as several MPs pledged to actively help bring our concerns to the forefront of government discussions.
Throughout the day delegates reported an almost unanimous agreement to the idea of the removal of GST from pet food and at one point when discussing our request for emergency planning for pet families, one official called it a “No-brainer”. MPs were very interested to hear about the realities of pet families and the critical role pet businesses play.
2024 Delegates
Our energized group of Pets Canada association members, including, Cyril Lemyre (Hurraw), Craig Brummell (Essex Topcrop), Jacqueline Martin (Marcam Pet Nutrition), James Ma (Concord Group), Zara Willmott (Cat Sitter Toronto), Kim Gobeil (MacKenzie Pet), Maxime Burns (Gastronome Animal), Steve Schlichtmann (Burgham Sales), Marcus Zhao (Kreizen), and Amy Pawson (Petland Canada), joined Pets Canada team members Christine Carrière, Tonya Martin, Bernard Lalonde, and Mia Maloney on Parliament Hill on Monday, October 7, 2024.
Creating the opportunity for our association members to speak with federal officials is a powerful way to drive home the importance of pets to Canadians. Just like our trade events, face to face meetings breed critical understanding. With the future of pet businesses and families in mind, bringing our cause directly to decisions makers and influencers is one of the strongest ways we have to foster our future as an industry and most importantly, the health of the pets and their families our sector serves.
We are eternally grateful to all the decision-makers who took the time to meet with us one-on-one to discuss important issues affecting pets, pet families, and pet businesses. Next up, Queen’s Park Day on November 26! Help Pets Canada Reach more MPPs with our virtual PST letter
For inquiries or discussions regarding pet advocacy and pet business matters, please reach out to:
Tonya Martin
Vice President, Advocacy & Regulatory Affairs
tonya.martin@petscanada.org
