Name
Ag-Gag in Canada: Surveying the Legal Landscape
Date & Time
Wednesday, April 7, 2021, 9:45 AM - 10:45 AM
Camille Labchuk Jodi Lazare
Description

This session will present an overview of ag-gag legislation in Canada — that is, laws prohibiting animal rights activism in the form of farm occupations, undercover investigations and whistleblowing, and bearing witness by members of the Save Movement and others. It will review laws in force and those making their way through the legislative process in different jurisdictions. It will break down precisely what is prohibited and why, as well as the potential consequences of contravening the laws. It will briefly describe any charges laid under the legislation (subject to availability) and any legal challenges in progress. Drawing on legal precedents and scholarship from the United States and Canada, it will then present, in language accessible to jurists and laypeople alike, arguments that the statutes currently in force (in Alberta and Ontario), as well as those on the horizon, may not survive a constitutional challenge. More generally, this presentation suggests that by stifling activism and the spread of information about industrial animal farming and food production, ag-gag is a threat to the well-being of farmed animals, democratic debate, the environment, and human health and safety.

The presentation should be of value to anyone with an interest in farmed animal protection and civil liberties, and particularly to animal rights activists who participate in the kinds of activities targeted by the legislation, legal practitioners working in the area of animal law, legislators considering similar legislative moves, and animal protection groups interested in stopping the spread of ag-gag laws. 

Key Learnings :
1. Understanding the effect of ag-gag legislation.
2.Understanding the constitutional dimensions of ag-gag legislation.
3.Understanding the connection between animal rights activism and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Sponsored by : Winnipeg Humane Society
 

 

Session Type
Presentation
Stage
Stage 1 LIVE