Canada is one step closer to eliminating cetacean captivity after the Ending the Captivity of Whales and Dolphins Act cleared the Senate in October. Now, thanks to politicians, scientists, and supporters like you, this bill is headed to the House of Commons, where it must be passed to become law.

Bill S-203 is designed to phase out captivity over time by banning breeding and prohibiting the importation of cetaceans, including their sperm, tissue cultures, and embryos. The harmful proposed Conservative amendments to exclude the Vancouver Aquarium and Marineland, which are the only two facilities holding captive cetaceans in Canada, were defeated.

Unlike the Vancouver Aquarium, which announced its phase-out of captive marine mammals, Marineland holds over 55 marine mammals captive, with no plans to slow its exploitative business. It is therefore unsurprising that Marineland has urged the House of Commons to kill the bill.

Green Party leader Elizabeth May, who sponsors this Act in the House of Commons, states, “Keeping these highly evolved creatures in captivity is cruel, as is the entertainment value of watching whales and dolphins swim circles in concrete tanks. The sooner the House of Commons passes this bill, the better.”

We have been keeping you in the loop about this bill for over a year. Stay tuned for more updates from In Defense of Animals’ Cetacean Project.