People in action for animals
Online Advocacy Program Overview

About WSPA
• An international charity with 15 offices worldwide
• Recognized by the UN
• Building a global animal welfare movement
• Relatively small office in Canada (13 full time staff)
• Didn’t have an online advocacy program 2 years ago

Our programs
• Wildlife
• Companion Animals
• Working Animals
• Farm Animals
• Disaster Relief
• Legislation!

UDAW Campaign
There is currently no global recognition that
animal welfare matters.
AN AGREEMENT. People and nations will
recognize that animals can feel pain and that they
can suffer. We’ll agree that animals matter, and
we’ll work to prevent cruelty and suffering.
FOR IT TO BE ADOPTED Governments from
around the world have to state their support and
advocate for the UDAW at the UN.

Global Petition Site
• Online ‘hub’ for global
campaign
• Online petition signatures
have little political influence
in Canada
• A place to reference when
targeting potential
media/celeb/corporate
partners
• Useful for list building and
public engagement
• Expansion plan in the works
to be executed in 2009

Regional Strategy
• Opt-ins from global site are distributed to
regional offices for incorporation into regional
advocacy strategies.
• This is where we’ve seen the most political
success.
• So far 7 governments have declared their
support for the UDAW and Ministries from
13 other governments as well.
• Canada is not yet one of them.

Regional Strategy
Regional Strategy
BUILD A LARGE
DATABASE OF
ANIMAL
WELFARE
ENTHUSIASTS/
ADVOCATES.
Empower them to take action for animals.

Roadside Zoo Campaign
Phase One
Problem: Ontario stands out as the worst jurisdiction in Canada
when it comes to ensuring the proper care of captive
wildlife. With few regulations in place, the province
makes it far too easy for residents to collect wild
animals and house them in substandard facilities (ie: back-yards)
Letters from Ontarians to MPPs educating them on the issue
•
Letters from tourists to Premier & Minister of Tourism
•
Campaign champion identified (MPP David Zimmer)
•
Zimmer crafts zoo bill in support of the campaign
•

Roadside Zoo Campaign
Phase Two
Letters to MPPs encouraging them to support Zimmer’s bill
•
Petition available for download – 20,000 signatures collected!
•
Provincial election campaign achieves animal welfare
•
commitments from all 3 parties before election
WSPA invited to join working group to make recommendations to
•
government

Roadside Zoo Campaign
Phase Three
Ontario announces commitment to
•
update OSPCA Act and create zoo
standards
Letters to MPPs to encourage fulfillment
•
of this commitment
Government passes strongest animal
•
cruelty law in the country & sets standards
for keeping captive wildlife
Cruelty to animals is considered a provincial
offence for the first time. The new
law gives greater powers to SPCA officers
and sets the strongest penalties in
the country for those who commit animal
cruelty.

Vote for Animals
Federal election
campaign
Problem: animal welfare is not
a priority on political agendas.
• Survey to political leaders
• Responses posted online
• Action: write local candidates
• Action: write local editors
• Action: Spread the word

Vote for Animals
Results
• Over 33,000 unique visitors
• 3,500+ letters to candidates
• 2,000+ letters to editors
•100 responses from candidates
• 3 of the 5 major political parties
stated support for the UDAW
• Stephen Harper failed to
respond to our survey, sparking
some lively media coverage which
included a prominent article in the
Ottawa Sun

Questions
Misty Meeks
Online Communications Coordinator
WSPA Canada
Email: meeks@wspa.ca