Ottawa calls $8-million price tag for animal captivity bill speculative, premature

The parliamentary budget officer says a proposed law to prohibit keeping elephants and great apes in captivity could cost up to $8 million to administer over the first five years.

The federal government is questioning that conclusion, calling it speculative and noting it is based on legislation that hasn’t even passed yet.

The government introduced Bill S-15 in the Senate last November, but it hasn’t passed there or in the House of Commons yet.

The PBO says the $8-million estimate is based on data the government provided about the staffing and technology required to enforce the bill.

But a spokesman for Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault says if the bill passes, the government will decide how to most efficiently implement it, which could include using existing staff and systems.

Twenty-three elephants and about 30 gorillas, chimpanzees and orangutans are currently in captivity in Canada, and the bill would outlaw more being added except for conservation or animal welfare reasons.

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The Canadian Press