Jews in Canada Call Parley on Humane Slaughter Legislation Issue

Canada’s Jewish religious leaders have been convened for a special conference to be held here next Sunday to discuss further steps in regard to the increasing concern over humane slaughter legislation pending in Parliament at Ottawa. It is feared that some provisions of the projected law might affect Schechitah.

The conference has been summoned by the Religious Welfare Committee of the Canadian Jewish Congress, after discussions of the pending legislation by a special joint committee of the Religious Welfare Committee and the Public Relations Committee on Humane Slaughter Legislation.

Next Sunday’s conference is expected to draft plans for further discussions between leaders of the Canadian Jewish community and governmental leaders, including members of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Agriculture, which has been holding hearings in regard to the proposed legislation.

A committee including S. M. Harris, of Toronto, and Rabbi S. M. Zambrowsky, national executive director of the Canadian Jewish Congress, conferred over the weekend in Ottawa with Dave Walker, parliamentary assistant to the Minister of Justice and Leon Crestohl, Jewish member of Parliament and a member of the agricultural committee. They have scheduled other conferences, with other government leaders.

The controversy over the proposed humane slaughter legislation has reached a peak since the stand taken by the Jewish leaders was criticized by the Toronto Humane Society which sharply attacked the stand of the Canadian Jewish Congress for defending the traditional Jewish method of slaughtering animals for food.