Keywords
animal law, United States, Canada, abuse, Quebec, courts, judgements, animals, Supreme Court of Canada, criminal mischief, activism
Abstract
It is commonplace to affirm that animal law is much more developed in the United States than in Canada; animal abuser registries are being implemented,' animal law degrees are offered,2 and prosecutions ofanimal abusers occur frequently,3 for example. However, the tide is changing in Canada as well, the legal norms and case law becoming increasingly aligned with the social norms surrounding the treatment of animals. An example ofthis is the recent adoption by Quebec ofa new status for animals in its Civil Code, the Loi visant 1'amiliorationde la situationjuridiquede l'animal, adopted on December 4th, 2015.' There are also new challenges the courts must face in issuing judgments on laws relating to animals. Recent manifestations of this have been, for example, the Her Majesty the Queen v. D.L. W' case before the Supreme Court, the first time the highest court of our land ruled on an animal protection provision.6 Also, a highly anticipated trial by the animal rights community is that of Anita Krajnc, charged with criminal mischief for giving water to dehydrated pigs in a slaughterhouse transportation truck.' The trial, set to be held in the summer of 2016, will be a decisive moment in defining a sustainable balance between morality and (il)legality as concerns animal activism. Animal law is thus a burgeoning field in Canada, which renders Canadian PerspectivesonAnimals andthe Law all the more relevant.
Recommended Citation
Sabrina Tremblay-Huet, "Canadian Perspectives on Animals and the Law" (2016) 39:1 Dal LJ 349.
