ANIMAL JUSTICE TAKES AG GAG LAW TO COURT
Animal Justice Academy Lunchtime Live
with Kaitlyn Mitchell
& Camille Labchuk
12pm - 1pm ET

In June of 2020, during the height of the pandemic, the Ontario government rammed through Bill 156... an agricultural gag ("ag gag") law intended to end undercover investigations into animal cruelty in the ag industry, silence whistleblowers, and make it illegal to bear witness to suffering animals in transport trucks outside slaughterhouses.

At the end of this month, the battle over Bill 156 goes to court! Animal Justice is suing the Ontario government for violating constitutional rights to freedom of expression.

On this AJA Lunchtime Live, Animal Justice's powerhouse lawyers, Kaitlyn Mitchell and Camille Labchuk, will give us the lowdown on the upcoming case, discuss what's gone into preparing for this showdown, and how we can help support getting this unconstitutional law struck down for the sake of the animals and those who are trying to protect them.

In light of the recent advancing of the FEDERAL ag gag Bill C-275, we'll also talk about the plan of action for us to try to stop the bill from passing the final vote in Parliament after getting approved by the Agriculture Committee this week.

*We invite folks to have their video on during this event to enhance the sense of community, but it’s not mandatory

About Kaitlyn Mitchell: 

Kaitlyn is the Director of Legal Advocacy at Animal Justice, where she works to stop the spread of agricultural gag ("ag gag") laws in Canada, improve legal protections for animals, and defend the rights of animal advocates. She’s one of the lead lawyers on Animal Justice’s constitutional challenge to Ontario's ag gag law. Prior to joining Animal Justice, Kaitlyn worked for over a decade as a public interest environmental lawyer. Her practice focused on promoting environmental justice and legal recognition of environmental rights. She has appeared before numerous courts across the country, including the Supreme Court of Canada. Kaitlyn graduated from Dalhousie Law School in 2007 after receiving her undergraduate degree from the University of Winnipeg.

About Camille Labchuk: 

Camille is one of Canada’s leading animal rights lawyers, and executive director of Animal Justice—Canada’s only animal law advocacy organization, and has worked to protect animals for over 15 years. As a lawyer, Camille seeks out cases that enhance the legal interests of animals, expose hidden animal suffering, and result in meaningful policy changes. As an advocate, Camille’s work includes documenting the commercial seal kill on Canada’s East Coast, exposing cruelty in farming, protecting the free speech rights of animal advocates, and campaigns against ag gag laws, trophy hunting, circuses, zoos, aquariums, shark finning, puppy mills, and more. Camille is a graduate of the University of Toronto Faculty of Law and Mount Allison University. She is a frequent lecturer and media commentator on animal law issues. Camille lives in Toronto with her cat, Cecily.