Montreal, April 26 2018 – On April 11, law professor Alain Roy released a report prepared by Dr. Jean-Jacques Kona-Boun on the 2017 rodeo in Saint-Tite, as along with footage shot at the same event. Following this release, the Montreal SPCA contacted the seventeen main partners of the 2018 edition of the Festival Western de Saint-Tite to invite them to withdraw their support for the Festival, and more particularly for the rodeo held during this event. In response to our request, Hydro-Québec and the Société des alcools du Québec (SAQ) both confirmed that they have dissociated themselves from the rodeo.

The report and footage released by professor Roy confirm that rodeo events are based on exploiting animal reactions to pain, fear and panic and are therefore fundamentally incompatible with animal welfare. In addition to psychological stress and fear, rodeo events involve the use of coercive instruments that cause physical pain or discomfort to force animals to perform. Rodeos also expose animals to the risk of potentially fatal injuries.

Of the seventeen main partners contacted by the SPCA, Hydro-Québec and the SAQ confirmed that their financial support for the Festival Western de Saint-Tite excluded its rodeo component. In addition, Hydro-Québec committed to reassessing its sponsorship for the year 2019 in light of the report and footage made public by Professor Roy. The remaining fifteen partners have not yet responded to the request. The Montreal SPCA encourages the public to join the organization in asking the sponsors to make a clear commitment not to fund the Festival Western de Saint-Tite rodeo scheduled to take place in September 2018.

“We consider that in 2018, it is simply unacceptable to deliberately inflict physical and psychological suffering on animals in the name of entertainment,” said attorney Alanna Devine, Director of Animal Advocacy at the Montreal SPCA. “We are convinced that the Festival’s main sponsors do not wish to be associated with an event that puts animal cruelty in the spotlight”.

The remaining sponsors are:
Molson Coors Canada, Desjardins, Société Loto-Québec, Coca-Cola Canada, Ford Motor Co of Canada Ltd, Case IH Agriculture, Wrangler, Cogeco, Bottes Boulet Inc., Solotech Inc., Le géant motorisé, Les marchés tradition, Le lait and Lafleur.

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Media contact: Anita Kapuscinska, Communications Manager, Montreal SPCA, 514 656-2760, or anitak@spca.com.

About the Montreal SPCA Founded in Montreal in 1869, we were the first animal welfare society in Canada and our mission is to:

• protect animals against negligence, abuse, and exploitation;
• represent their interests and ensure their well-being;
• raise public awareness and help develop compassion for all living beings.

For more information about the Montreal SPCA, please visit our website at www.spca.com.