For those unfamiliar with Animal Justice, it is a national organization leading the fight for animals in Canada. In the last year alone, Animal Justice has been instrumental in achieving important legislative reforms in Canada, including a nationwide ban of whale and dolphin captivity, a ban on shark fin importation, and changes to the Criminal Code bestiality provisions in order to close loopholes that previously allowed for the sexual exploitation of animals.
On top of these changes, Animal Justice appears in Courts across Canada, advocating for both animals and animal activists. The organization appeared before the Supreme Court of Canada in 2016 in a case called R v DLW, one of the most important cases in the history of Canadian animal law. Over the summer, I had the privilege of assisting in the defence of an animal activist who faced charges for using a banner to bring attention to the practice of shipping live horses to slaughter abroad via the Edmonton International Airport. Just a few weeks ago, Animal Justice hosted the first ever Canadian Animal Law Conference. I was fortunate enough to be able to go to Halifax for the event, where I learned from some of the leading animal law scholars from around the world.
And while Animal Justice is succeeding in many of these vital efforts to improve the conditions for animals in our country, it has not been without opposition. Still today, Canada has some of the worst animal protection laws in the western world. there are *no* federal regulations protecting animals from abuse on farms, in zoos and aquariums, in circuses, or in laboratories. It’s still legal to import and sell dog and cat fur, animals gunned down for trophies, and elephant ivory. In Canada, it’s legal to kill and eat your pets.
This is not a historical accident. There are concerted efforts being made in this country to stymy progress for animals. Just recently, my Premier in Alberta said that his government will be cracking down on animal activists who gain access to farms for the purpose of obtaining footage of the conditions in which we are keeping the animals. These efforts are supported by enormous organizations with unimaginable financial support. The Dairy Farmers of Canada *ALONE* have a marketing budget of 80 million dollars. 80 million. Just for marketing. That’s what the animals in our country are up against.
I would like to think we can do better than this.
