Disclaimer

Regarding the 4th paragraph: "Rogue animal rights activists appoint themselves animal rights investigators", our Head of Investigation was in fact trained by the Special Investigations Unit of the RSPCA and uses law enforcement standards of evidence collection.

REALITY CHECK:  NO COUNTRY FOR ANIMALS

Kevin Newman's latest documentary, No Country for Animals opens with a question about human rights and animal welfare: "In Canada, we pride ourselves on racial and sexual equality, but what about the rights of other species?"

Animal cruelty and civil liberties don't quite hold an analogy.  But how Canada holds up to the rest of the world is a worthwhile comparison.  Canada is well behind international standards that regulate housing and transportation for animals used in industry.  Canada is the namesake of the documentary.

Livestock spend their adult lives in pens no bigger than they are and go mad and develop chronic physical behaviours, like head bobbing.  Chickens are "thrown like potatoes," and even the people investigating can't do anything about it since these treatments are not technically illegal in an outdated provision for animals in the Criminal Code.

Rogue animal rights activists appoint themselves animal rights investigators.  They shoot videos of puppy mills and farm animal auctions, keeping tabs on people who raise livestock for profit.  Newman uses their footage - it's not gory or graphic, but it is disturbing.

The worst offender, says the doc, is Quebec, the "puppy mill capitol of North America." But one woman is suing the province for what she says are faulty investigations into animal cruelty.  And some changing regulations inspired by precedents in the United States offer some hope for a solution.

They may not be exactly like people, but animals still have a hierarchy in the minds of humans - we spoil our cats and dogs, but neglect our farm animals.

Kate Hewitt
No Country for Animals premieres July 28 at 10 p.m. on Global