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Camille Labchuk

2nd December 2020

is an animal rights lawyer and executive director of Animal Justice—Canada’s only animal law advocacy organization. Under her leadership, Animal Justice fights legal cases in courtrooms across the country, works to pass groundbreaking new laws, and ensures industries are held accountable for illegal animal cruelty. Camille has litigated to advance animals’ legal interests at all levels of court, including before the Supreme Court of Canada. She regularly testifies before legislative committees, and was instrumental in passing a precedent-setting national ban on whale and dolphin captivity in 2019. She has filed false advertising complaints against companies making misleading humane claims; documented Canada’s commercial seal slaughter, and exposed hidden suffering behind the closed doors of farms and zoos through undercover investigations. Camille also regularly defends and protects the rights of animal advocates. Camille was previously a founding board member of Mercy For Animals Canada, press secretary to the leader of a federal Canadian political party, and has been a two-time candidate for Parliament. Camille is a frequent lecturer on animal law, co-host of the Paw & Order podcast, and a regular contributor to national publications like the Globe and Mail and the Toronto Star. She authored a chapter about false advertising law and animal protection in Canadian Perspectives on Animals and the Law (2015), and a chapter on legal protections for ethical vegans in a forthcoming edited collection. Her current research focuses on the creeping privatization of animal law and enforcement, and federalism and animal law.