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Here is some good news!

The Canadian Senate announced a bill to protect horses from live export from Canada - it doesn't go far enough and protect them from being shipped for slaughter within Canada - but it is an important step. From their press release:

Horse Protection Act, a new Senate bill proposing to ban the export of live horses for slaughter overseas. The Liberal Party promised Canadians such a ban in the 2021 federal election, a commitment reflected in the mandate letter of the re-elected Prime Minister to Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, the Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau. “Now is the time to take action to end
the cruel export of horses for slaughter overseas,” said Senator Dalphond, who will introduce the bill in the Senate this afternoon. “Through the Horse Protection Act, I am proposing a statutory ban that will become effective the day the bill is adopted.” 

“Since 2006, tens of thousands of terrified horses have been crammed into shoddy wooden crates and flown 8,000 km to their demise, enduring turbulence, thirst and hunger, and abject fear. To say this practice is inhumane would be an understatement. Canadians want this to end,” said Jann Arden. 

Since 2013, over 30,000 horses have been shipped from Canadian airports overseas for slaughter, with Japan and South Korea being the most common destinations. In the first quarter of 2023, Canada exported 899 live horses to Japan for slaughter, where they are considered a delicacy and consumed as sashimi, an increase of 3 % compared to the same period last year. 

The horses’ total time in transit to Asia, by air and road, often exceeds 24 hours. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency permits food and water to be withheld from horses for up to 28 hours. During air transport, horses – who are easily panicked and have a strong flight response – become stressed and suffer due to the loading process; loud, sudden, and unfamiliar noises of aircraft; close confinement in crates with unfamiliar and terrified horses; and difficulty balancing during takeoff, turbulence, and landing, sometimes resulting in falls.