A Bloc Québécois MP is moving to strip federal support from religious meat processing, backing a Commons petition that calls for an end to subsidies for halal and kosher slaughter and demands uniform stunning requirements for all animals.Blacklock's Reporter says Petition E-7108, sponsored by Martin Champoux (Drummond, Que.), urges Ottawa to cancel funding tied to religious slaughter practices and repeal regulatory exemptions that allow animals to be killed without prior stunning under Islamic or Judaic law. The petition amassed about 3,000 signatures within its first day online.“Stop subsidizing halal and kosher practices,” the petition states, calling for mandatory stunning before bleeding “with no exceptions,” and labeling requirements for meat produced without stunning or according to religious norms until such rules are enforced.Current federal regulations require animals to be rendered unconscious before bleeding, but Section 144 of the Safe Food For Canadians Regulations exempts ritual slaughter conducted in compliance with Islamic or Judaic law. Petitioners argue the exemption permits animals to be conscious when their jugular veins and carotid arteries are cut, causing what they describe as unnecessary suffering that conflicts with humane treatment standards..The petition also challenges public funding for religious compliance. “Canadians’ taxes should not be going to reward religious norms and rituals,” it says, arguing that subsidizing such practices violates state secularism and amounts to religious discrimination.The push follows a January 9 decision by the Department of Agriculture to approve a $2.3 million subsidy for Atlantic Beef Products Inc. of Albany, P.E.I., to support “halal certified products.” The funding falls under a two-year, $25 million program aimed at helping beef and veal processors address challenges associated with slaughter in accordance with Islamic or Judaic law.Champoux criticized the grant, saying religious accommodation should not be financed by taxpayers. “It’s not the government’s job,” he said. “If companies want to offer those products, that’s their prerogative. What’s objectionable is public funds being used to finance compliance with ritual slaughtering requirements for religious groups.”.Federal oversight of halal processing dates back more than a decade. In 2014, inspectors finalized national rules governing Islamic meat production. At the time, industry representatives said inspectors were present at facilities at all times, with halal slaughter carried out manually by a practicing Muslim who recites a prayer while facing Mecca.The petition now awaits debate as pressure builds for Ottawa to revisit the balance between religious accommodation, animal welfare standards, and public spending.
