Integrate animal response in emergencies

AI summary

Petitioners ask governments to integrate animal response in emergency planning, enable co‑evacuation with pets and pet supports. The government responds it has updated pet guidance and emergency content and supports provincial requests for federal assistance.

AI summaries describe petitioners’ requests and claims. Consult the official record for the full text.

Official petition

Petition to the House of Commons in Parliament assembled More than 60% of Canadian households have a cat or dog (rising to almost 80% including non-traditional pets) and 71% consider their animals to be family; Animal response continues to be considered days and weeks into an emergency response creating unnecessary challenges or injury for animal welfare providers, increased animal suffering, and stress and grief for animal owners; Lack of pet-inclusive support services forces people to delay or avoid seeking safety, risking physical harm and potential maltreatment or death of pets; Misinformation, limited training and lack of inclusion of animal response often add to confusion and panic during evacuations, jeopardizing the safety and well-being of first responders; Facilitating safe co-evacuation of people with their animals may mitigate risk of physical injury, prevent acute and long-term psychological trauma and strengthen resiliency of persons displaced by and responding to emergency situations; Evidence highlights the importance of planning for better coordination of animal response including evacuating, extracting and sheltering during natural disasters; and During an emergency, people need help evacuating their animals and accessing pet-friendly accommodations, animal food, supplies and veterinary care. We, the undersigned, Citizens of Canada, call upon the House of Commons in Parliament assembled to recognize the critical role professional animal welfare providers play in emergencies, ensuring that coordinated animal response is integrated into all emergency preparedness, response and recovery efforts at the federal/provincial/territorial level; that people evacuating with pets are considered in decision-making and have access to pet-inclusive support services and establishing a responsive and adequate resource structure that supports Animal Response.

Government response

Response by the Minister of Public Safety Signed by Anthony Housefather, M.P. Public Safety recognizes that the protection of animals is a critical aspect of emergency preparedness, particularly as climate-driven disasters continue to increase in frequency and severity. The recent wildfires and other emergencies have indeed underscored the critical need for timely, accurate, and accessible emergency information, including when it would affect animal welfare. We have recently updated our webpages for pets and service animals, working closely with key stakeholders to provide clear and accurate guidance on what Canadians can do before, during, and after an emergency. Broadly, over the past two years, we have taken significant steps to improve the accessibility and clarity of emergency preparedness information through updates to our emergency preparedness content on Canada.ca. These updates include: Streamlined content to make emergency guidance easier to understand and act upon, especially during fast-moving events like wildfires; Enhanced mobile responsiveness to ensure people in Canada can access critical information from any device, anywhere; Updated hazard-specific guidance, including new and revised content on wildfires, floods, and extreme weather events, reflecting lessons learned from recent emergencies; and Expanded multilingual resources to better serve diverse communities across the country. Importantly, our emergency preparedness messaging emphasizes the need for people in Canada to seek information from multiple official sources before, during, and after emergencies. This includes federal, provincial, and territorial channels, as well as trusted local media and emergency management organizations. The webpage now also features links to help people in Canada quickly access additional hazard-specific information (e.g., Canadian Wildland Fire Information System, FireSmart® Canada, etc.). By encouraging a multi-source approach, we aim to ensure that individuals receive timely and accurate updates, even when one channel may be disrupted or delayed. Additionally, in Canada when there is an emergency, response is handled first at the local level by fire departments, police, and other municipal resources. If local first responders need further assistance, they can request it from neighbouring municipalities or from their Province. When an emergency escalates beyond their response capabilities, Provincial or Territorial bodies issue a Request for Federal Assistance (RFA) from the Government of Canada, based on their specific requirements. This process ensures that Municipal, Provincial, and Territorial jurisdictions are respected, that emergency response is well coordinated, and that the provision of Federal resources can be expedited quickly at the national level when needed.