Podcasts

Canada’s only animal law podcast! We break down current issues in animal law and the future of animal protection.

#91: Holiday Spectacular & Paw & Order Finale!

Episode 91 of the Paw & Order episode doubles as our annual holiday special, as well as the bittersweet wrap up of the Paw & Order podcast, after four incredible years. In this episode, hosts Camille, Peter, and Jessica take part in their super fun annual 12 holiday “gifts” giveaway to deserving recipients, & reflect on their time hosting the podcast, including some of their favourite moments.

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#90: Court of Appeal Says Animals Are Sentient & Deserve Protection

In Episode 90 of the Paw & Order podcast, hosts Camille Labchuk and Peter Sankoff discuss the groundbreaking Alberta Court of Appeal decision in R v Chen, in which Animal Justice was an intervenor. The appeal involves the appropriate approach to sentencing in criminal animal cruelty cases. The Court held that because animals are sentient beings that experience pain and suffering, crimes against them are crimes of violence and should be treated differently from property offences.

In this episode, Camille and Peter also announce that the Paw & Order podcast is wrapping up at the end of 2021, after four wonderful years. The hosts give a heartfelt thanks to the incredible listeners, and everyone who came together to make the show possible, and reflect on some of the show’s big accomplishments.

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#89: Reporting for the Animals With Jane Dalton

In episode 89 of the Paw & Order podcast, Jessica Scott-Reid interviews Jane Dalton, a UK journalist who writes about animal issues at the Independent. Jessica and Jane discuss how Jane was able work with a major publication and report on animal welfare, giving animals a much-needed voice in the media.

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#88: Seeking Legal Personhood for Animals

November 2, 2021 In episode 88 of Paw & Order, hosts Camille Labchuk and Jessica Scott-Reid dive into the concept of legal personhood for animals. Animals are primarily viewed as […]

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#87: The Good News Episode

October 19, 2021 In Episode 87 of the Paw & Order podcast, hosts Camille Labchuk and Jessica Scott-Reid dive into (mostly) good news stories for animals that are making major […]

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#86: LIVE from the 2021 Canadian Animal Law Conference!

This episode of the Paw & Order podcast is brought to you LIVE from the 2021 Canadian Animal Law Conference, which was held virtually from October 1-3, 2021! Just like last year’s conference, hosts Camille Labchuk, Peter Sankoff, and Jessica Scott-Reid took this special opportunity to come together to host an exciting show.

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#85: Sentencing Violent Crimes Against Animals With Chris Rudnicki

Episode 85 of the Paw & Order podcast features an interview with lawyer Chris Rudnicki. Chris is representing Animal Justice in an important case about appropriate sentencing principles that apply in animal cruelty cases. The case is R v Chen, involving a man who pleaded guilty to violently beat his dog, in which Animal Justice is an intervenor at the Alberta Court of Appeal.

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#84: Challenging Use of Fast-Growing Chicken Breeds With Edie Bowles

Episode 84 of the Paw & Order podcast features an interview with Edie Bowles, a solicitor and the co-founder of Advocates for Animals, the UK’s first-ever law firm dedicated to animal protection. Edie is currently representing the non-profit organization The Humane League in a groundbreaking case challenging the use of fast-growing chicken breeds in UK farms.

The group has filed a judicial review over the government’s failure to prevent the use of commercial chicken breeds that are designed to grow unnaturally large and unnaturally fast. These fast-growing chickens experience a multitude of health problems, and their use may be unlawful under the UK’s animal protection legislation. The outcome of this case could have significant implications for how chickens are raised for meat in the UK.

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#83: Who Gets the Dog? Pet Custody Case Makes Headlines

Episode 83 of the Paw & Order podcast features ALL three hosts: Camille Labchuk, Peter Sankoff, and Jessica Scott-Reid—who are back from their summer break! The show deep dives into an interesting dog custody case, Duboff v. Simpson, including some important comments made by the judge that could help influence future pet custody cases. The case involves two Toronto lawyers who fought for custody over a boxer named Layla. Under the law, pets are seen as merely property—making pet custody cases complex and often unpredictable.

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#82: Animal Welfare & International Trade Law With Katie Sykes

In Episode 82 of the Paw & Order podcast, Camille Labchuk interviews Thompson Rivers University Associate Professor of Law Katie Sykes about her new book, Animal Welfare and International Trade Law: The Impact of the WTO Seal Case. Katie discusses the history of the World Trade Organization and its trade agreements in relation to animal welfare, and gives an in-depth analysis of the EU ban on the sale of seal products, and why this ban was an important shift demonstrating that animal welfare issues have their place in trade exemptions that address public morals and changing, progressive attitudes.

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#81: Deceptive “Meatsplaining” With Dr. Jason Hannan

Episode 81 of the Paw & Order podcast is hosted by Jessica Scott-Reid and guest co-host Kaitlyn Mitchell, a staff lawyer at Animal Justice. In this episode, Jessica and Kaitlyn interview Dr. Jason Hannan, a professor at the University of Winnipeg, and the co-chair of Winnipeg VegFest. They discuss Dr. Hannan’s recently published book, Meatsplaining, The Animal Agriculture Industry and the Rhetoric of Denial, exploring strategies used by the animal agriculture industry to avoid public scrutiny for its harm to animals, our health, and the environment.

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#80: Exposing the Legal Wildlife Trade With Casey Bond

June 1, 2021 In Episode 80 of the Paw & Order podcast, Camille Labchuk interviews Casey Bond, the communications manager at the animal advocacy research non-profit Faunalytics, to discuss their groundbreaking […]

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#79: Replacing Animal Use in Science With Dr. Charu Chandrasekera

In Episode 79 of the Paw & Order podcast, co-hosts Camille Labchuk and Jessica Scott-Reid speak with Dr. Charu Chandrasekera. Dr. Chandrasekera is the founder of the Canadian Centre for Alternatives to Animal Methods (CCAAM) at Windsor University, an internationally recognized research centre working to develop alternatives to animal testing. The interview explores why traditional animal testing is an outdated form of research that often produces poor results, why modern alternatives to animal testing focusing on human biology are more efficient, the exciting work that CCAAM is doing to develop these alternatives, and why it’s time for Canada to do more to support alternatives to animal testing and to develop these lifesaving technologies.

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#78: Big Animal News Stories You Need to Know About

In Episode 78 of the Paw & Order podcast, Camille Labchuk and Peter Sankoff go deep into top stories that are affecting animals right now from both Canada and across the globe. This include an exciting new announcement from the Canadian government that it will be moving away from toxicity tests on animals in an overhaul of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, Laurentian University killing about 200 innocent animals amid lab closures, two cases of a rare swine flu found in people in Manitoba, New Zealand ending the live export of animals by sea over animal welfare concerns, a Nova Scotia breeder acquitted of animal cruelty charges, Alberta ending funding for a group working to help businesses develop in the plant-based protein sector, the CFIA announcing new import rules for dogs, and the B.C. government continuing to kill wolves to “protect” caribou—when wolves aren’t even responsible for decline in caribou populations.

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