Agenda

The agenda for the Canadian Animal Law Conference is preliminary, and subject to change. Further information will be added as it becomes available.

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Unless otherwise noted, all conference events will take place at the Schulich School of Law, Dalhousie University, 6061 University Avenue, Halifax.

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Friday, October 4

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9:00 am - 4:30 pm

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Student Animal Law Conference

See the Student Animal Law Conference agenda for further details. 

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7:30 - 9:00 pm

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Conference Opening

• Welcome & Introductions

• Keynote Address by Professor Peter Singer, author of Animal Liberation

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This event is open to the public on a first come, first served basis, with doors open at 7:00 pm. Limited public seating is available. It will take place in the Paul O'Regan Room of the Halifax Central Library​, 5440 Spring Garden Road, Halifax. 

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Saturday, October 5

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8:15 am - 9:00 am

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Breakfast & Registration

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9:00 am - 10:30 am

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Prosecution: A Tool of Social Change, Or State Tool of Oppression?

• Justin Marceau, Professor & Animal Legal Defense Fund Professor of Law, Sturm College of Law, University of Denver

• Shane Martínez, Barrister & Solicitor, Martínez Law

• Tayler Zavitz, PhD Candidate, University of Victoria

Moderator: Kendra Coulter, Chair of Labour Studies, Brock University

Room 305

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Animals, Technology, & Government

• Vaughan Black, Retired Professor, Schulich School of Law at Dalhousie University

• Andrew Fenton, Associate Professor, Department of Philosophy, Dalhousie University

• Iselin Gambert, Professor, George Washington University Law School

• Wesley Tourangeau, Post-Doctoral Fellow, School of Resource and Environmental Studies, Dalhousie University

Moderator: Lucie Guibault, Associate Professor, Schulich School of Law, Dalhousie University

Room 204

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Critical Lenses: Rethinking Animal Law Problems

• Maneesha Deckha, Professor, University of Victoria Faculty of Law

• Jessica Eisen, Assistant Professor, University of Alberta Faculty of Law

• Darcy Lindberg, Assistant Professor, University of Alberta

Moderator: Angela Lee, PhD Candidate, University of Ottawa Faculty of Law

Room 207

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10:30 am - 10:45 am

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Break

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1 0:45 am - 12:15 pm 

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Effective Legal Advocacy, Inside & Outside the Courtroom

• James Silver, Barrister & Solicitor, SP Barristers

• Kevin Schneider, Executive Director, Nonhuman Rights Project

• Jessica Scott-Reid, Journalist & Animal Advocate

Moderator: Gary Grill, Barrister & Solicitor, Grill Barristers

Room 305

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Saving Fido: Litigating "Dangerous" Dog Cases

• Rebeka Breder, Animal Law Litigator, Breder Law

• Dr. Rebecca Ledger, Animal Behaviour & Welfare Consultant, Vancouver

• Robert LeBlanc, Vancouver City Prosecutor, City of Vancouver

Moderator: Samantha Addario, Student-at-Law, Martin Sheppard Fraser LLP

Room 204

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Othering Animals

• Pierre Cloutier de Repentigny, PhD Candidate, University of Ottawa Faculty of Law

• Angela Fernandez, Assistant Professor, University of Toronto Faculty of Law

• Kaitlyn Mitchell, Staff Lawyer, Animal Justice

• MH Tse, SJD Candidate, Harvard Law School

Moderator: Charlotte Blattner, Postdoctoral Fellow, Harvard Law School

Room 207

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12:15 pm - 1:20 pm

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Lunch

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Conference attendees are invited to watch an optional short film over lunch—The Farm in My Backyard by We Animals Media. The Farm in My Backyard details the devastating impacts of Nova Scotia's fur farm industry on the environment, animals, and local residents pleading for change. The Farm in My Backyard is approximately 16 minutes in length, and will be screened in Room 204.

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1:20 pm - 2:15 pm

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Welcome from Schulich School of Law Dean Camille Cameron

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The Challenge of Advancing Animal Law Issues: A Perspective from the Bench

• Chief Justice Catherine Fraser, Alberta Court of Appeal

• Justice Lois Hoegg, Newfoundland & Labrador Court of Appeal

Moderator: Peter Sankoff, Professor, University of Alberta Faculty of Law

Room 105

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2:15 pm - 2:30 pm 

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Break

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2:30 pm - 4:00 pm

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Ending Animal Experimentation: New Advances

• Dr. Charu Chandrasekera, Executive Director, Canadian Centre for Alternatives to Animal Methods, University of Windsor

• Zeynep Graves, Counsel, PETA Foundation

• Lisa Kramer, Professor, Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto

• Elisabeth Ormandy, Executive Director, Animals in Science Policy Institute

Moderator: Vaughan Black, Retired Professor, Schulich School of Law at Dalhousie University

Room 305

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Animals, Justice, & the Moral Community

• Ranjana Basu, Doctor of Social Science Candidate, Royal Roads University

• Charlotte Blattner, Postdoctoral Fellow, Harvard Law School

• Kathryn Campbell, Professor, Department of Criminology, University of Ottawa

• Amy Fitzgerald, Associate Professor, Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Criminology, University of Windsor

Moderator: Chris Green, Executive Director, Animal Law & Policy Program, Harvard Law School

Room 204

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Enforcement: Rethinking the SPCA Model

• Kendra Coulter, Chair of Labour Studies, Brock University

• Sophie Gaillard, Director of Animal Advocacy, Montreal SPCA

• Marcelo Rodriguez Ferrere, Senior Lecturer, University of Otago Faculty of Law

• Brian Shiller, General Counsel, Ontario SPCA

Moderator: Camille Labchuk, Executive Director, Animal Justice

Room 207

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4:00 pm - 4:15 pm

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Break

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4:15 pm - 5:45 pm

Keynote Plenary Panel: The Intersectional Future of Animal Law

• Maneesha Deckha, Professor, University of Victoria Faculty of Law

• Anthony Nocella, Executive Director, Institute for Critical Animal Studies & Assistant Professor, Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Salt Lake City Community College

• Margaret Robinson, Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology, Dalhousie University

Moderator: Jessica Eisen, Assistant Professor, University of Alberta Faculty of Law

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This plenary panel is open to the public. It will be held in the Scotiabank Auditorium, Marion McCain Arts & Social Sciences Building, Dalhousie University, 6135 University Avenue.

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5:45 pm - 7:15 pm

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Reception

Atrium, Schulich School of Law.

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Sunday, October 6

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8:15 am - 9:00 am

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Breakfast

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9:00 am - 10:30 am

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Current Issues In Enforcement & Prosecution

• Danielle Duffield, Associate, Joseph Hage Aaronson LLP

• Janine Kidd, Crown Attorney, Nova Scotia Public Prosecution Service

• Jo-Ann Landsburg, Chief Provincial Inspector, Nova Scotia SPCA

• Mandy MacLeod, Crown Prosecutor, Alberta Crown Prosecution Service

Moderator: Lesli Bisgould, Adjunct Professor, University of Toronto Faculty of Law

Room 305

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Beyond the Common Law: Animal Law in Other Legal Systems

• Alanna Collicutt, Dog Care and Control Program Manager, Alberta Spay Neuter Task Force

• Josh Littlechild, Tribal Law Coordinator, Ermineskin Cree Nation

• Syed Adnan Hussain, Assistant Professor, Religious Studies, St. Mary's University

• Sheena Swemmer, Centre for Applied Legal Studies, University of Witwatersrand, South Africa

Moderator: Dr. Kathryn Campbell, Professor, Department of Criminology, University of Ottawa

Room 204

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Law Reform: Catching Up to Societal Values

• Edie Bowles, Solicitor, Advocates for Animals

• Chris Green, Executive Director, Animal Law & Policy Program, Harvard Law School

• Michelle Strauss, Risk & Compliance Lawyer, Tees Law

Moderator: Katie Sykes, Associate Professor, Thompson Rivers University Faculty of Law

Room 207

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10:30 am - 10:45 am

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Break

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10:45 am - 12:15 pm

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No More Whale Jails: Ending Cetacean Captivity in Canada

• Camille Labchuk, Executive Director, Animal Justice

• Holly Lake, Journalist

• Dr. Lori Marino, Whale Sanctuary Project

• Marty McKendry, Director of Parliamentary Affairs, Government Representative Office in the Senate

• Wilfred Moore, retired Canadian Senator

Moderator: Jodi Lazare, Assistant Professor, Schulich School of Law at Dalhousie University

Room 305

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Critical Solutions: Resolving Animal Law ProblemEllen​

• Ellen Campbell, JD Candidate, University of Victoria Faculty of Law

• Angela Lee, PhD Candidate, University of Ottawa Faculty of Law

• Heather McLeod-Kilmurray, Associate Professor, University of Ottawa Faculty of Law

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Moderator: Maneesha Deckha, Professor, University of Victoria Faculty of Law

Room 204

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Global Perspectives on Animal Law

• ​Laure Boissat, External Affairs Project Manager, World Animal Protection

• Gieri Bolliger, Executive Director, Stiftung für das Tier im Recht

• Martina Pluda, Interim Country Director and Head of Programmes Austria, FOUR PAWS

• Katie Sykes, Associate Professor, Thompson Rivers University Faculty of Law

Moderator: Angela Fernandez, Assistant Professor, University of Toronto Faculty of Law

Room 207

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12:15 pm - 1:30 pm

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Plenary: Conference Closing Address

• Lesli Bisgould, Adjunct Professor, University of Toronto Faculty of Law

• Camille Labchuk, Executive Director, Animal Justice

• Peter Sankoff, Professor, University of Alberta Faculty of Law

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Room 105

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