Podcasts
Canada’s only animal law podcast! We break down current issues in animal law and the future of animal protection.
#35: The Battle to Pass Canada’s New Shark Fin Import Ban
It was a big month—three animal protection bills passed through Parliament! It’s now illegal to keep whales and dolphins in captivity, import shark fins, sexually abuse animals, and engage in animal fighting. For our main topic, Camille sits down with Gabriel Wildgen to discuss the fascinating history of campaigns to ban shark fin in Canada. Gabriel is a Harvard law student working with Animal Justice this summer, and previously spent many years campaigning against shark finning with HSI / Canada. From the Toronto City Council shark fin ban and its defeat in court, to a 2013 anti-shark fin bill in Parliament that lost by only six votes, it took many years and a lot of work to finally win a national ban on the shark fin trade.
Keep Reading#34: Another Defeat in Court for Lucy the Elephant
Peter & Camille discuss a major new case from the Alberta Court of Appeal that rejected an attempt to help Lucy, a lonely elephant confined in the Edmonton Zoo. The hosts break down and critique the majority decision, praise the strong dissent, and explain what it means for animal law in Canada.
Keep Reading#33: Zoo Charges, Ethical Vegan Lawsuit, Pet Custody Battle, & Other Major Headlines
Camille and Peter explain groundbreaking criminal charges laid against a Montreal-area zoo, and the zoo industry ‘clearing’ itself of animal cruelty in another case out of the Cherry Brook Zoo in Moncton. There’s a new pet custody case out of Maine, and the Australian Capital Territory is bringing in strong new animal laws, addressing sentience and giving citizens the right to rescue dogs from hot cars. Finally, the hosts take a look at a case making global headlines right now—a vegan firefighter asking for ethical veganism to be declared a “creed” that is protected by human rights law in Ontario.
Keep Reading#32: Criminalizing Compassion – #MeatTheVictims & #PigTrial2
Camille and Peter discuss the rise of direct action animal advocacy in Canada, the legal issues raised, and the potential for legal pushback by industry and legislators. The hosts go over two recent high-profile cases: Ontario prosecutors withdrawing criminal charges against activist Jenny McQueen for rescuing a piglet, in a case that had been dubbed the #PigTrial2; and the #MeatTheVictims action in Abbotsford, B.C., where activists occupied an industrial pig farm that had been exposed for horrific pig abuse.
Keep Reading#31: Getting Justice When Your Pet Dies at the Vet
Camille and Peter explain how humans can seek justice when a companion animal is wrongfully injured or killed. The law has been slow to recognize the value of animals to their guardians, and still treats animals like property. Damage awards have typically been limited to the cost of replacing an animal, which doesn’t even begin to account for the sense of loss that people feel when they lose a beloved animal through negligence or other tragic means. Slowly, damages for mental distress at the loss of a pet are creeping into Canadian judgments, and this area is ripe for evolution.
Keep Reading#30: Interview with Rebeka Breder, Animal Law Lawyer
Camille is joined by guest co-host Rebeka Breder, one of the country’s leading animal lawyers in private practice. Rebeka opens up about her path to becoming an animal rights lawyer, and two of her current high-profile cases—one lawsuit on illegal exports of horses shipped internationally slaughter, and an intervention to protect “dangerous” dogs potentially facing the death penalty.
Keep Reading#29: Specialized Animal Cruelty Prosecutors, with Guest Jake Kamins
Camille interviews Jake Kamins, a district attorney in Oregon dedicated exclusively to prosecuting animal cruelty offences. Jake fills our listeners in on how his unique position helps him make a difference for animals.
Keep Reading#28: Justice for an Orphaned Bear: Challenging Trigger-happy Wildlife Officials
Camille is joined by lawyer Arden Beddoes to discuss an important lawsuit he filed on behalf of the The Fur-Bearers, seeking justice for an orphaned bear cub in British Columbia who was mercilessly shot to death by a trigger-happy conservation officer.
Keep Reading#27: Dog Breed Standards, Puppy Mills, & the Law
This episode’s main topic is a big one: dog breeding. If you’ve ever wondered why Canada still has a puppy mill problem, you’ll learn why the near-complete lack of licensing and oversight of dog breeders play a huge role. The hosts explain why dog breeding is inherently problematic, particularly when the dogs are genetically manipulated to have painful physical traits that cause them a lifetime of suffering.
Keep Reading#26: Why are Canada’s Animal Laws So Far Behind UK Standards?
Camille interviews Edie Bowles, a London-based lawyer who is launching the UK’s very first animal rights law firm—Advocates for Animals. Edie fills listeners in on her path to becoming an animal protection lawyer, why UK animal laws are so much stronger than the Canadian system, and the pitfalls and promises that Brexit might hold for animal law.
Keep Reading#25: Japan Leaves International Whaling Commission to Harpoon More Whales
This episode features an interview with marine law expert professor Cameron Jeffries, who helps us understand what it means that Japan has withdrawn from the International Whaling Commission and plans to overtly resume killing whales for the commercial meat market.
Keep Reading#24: Judge Finds Ontario SPCA Law Enforcement is Unconstitutional
Hosts Peter Sankoff and Camille Labchuk dive right into analyzing the brand new judgment in Bogaerts v Attorney General of Ontario, which found that the Ontario SPCA’s law enforcement powers are unconstitutional. Find out what this stunning decision means for the future of animal law enforcement in Ontario, and why Animal Justice is pleased with the outcome.
Keep Reading#23: Angela Fernandez on Fox Hunting, Property, & Pierson v. Post
Camille sits down for a special interview with professor Angela Fernandez of the University of Toronto Faculty of Law. Angela’s new book examines the 1805 New York fox hunting case Pierson v. Post, long taught in law school to introduce law students to the property law concept of first possession by asking how one establishes possession of a wild animal. In this book, Pierson v. Post, the Hunt for the Fox: Law and Professionalization in American Legal Culture, Angela retells the history of the famous fox case. She also fills listeners in on how writing the book led her to start thinking and writing seriously about animal law, and become an advisor to Animal Justice.
Keep Reading#22: The Harvard Animal Law & Policy Program with Executive Director Chris Green
Peter Sankoff sits down with Chris Green, executive director of the Animal Law & Policy Program at Harvard University. Established in 2015, the program gives students and scholars the skills they need to analyze and improve the treatment of animals in the legal system. Chris fills us in on the work Harvard is doing to advance animal law, and some of the incredible achievements of program graduates.
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