Sophie Gaillard
Director of Animal Advocacy and Legal and Government Affairs
Montreal SPCA
Sophie Gaillard joined the Montreal SPCA in 2013, after having graduated from McGill University’s Faculty of Law and articling at the Crown prosecutors’ office in Montreal. In her role as Director of Animal Advocacy and Legal and Government Affairs, she oversees the Montreal SPCA’s efforts to strengthen animal protection legislation and public policy at the municipal, provincial and federal levels, as well as acting as the organization’s head legal counsel and government relations specialist. She is namely one of the instigators of the Animals are not Things manifesto which led to the adoption of a new provision in the Civil Code of Quebec recognizing animals as sentient beings. Me Gaillard served as Acting Executive Director of the SPCA for nearly a year in 2022 and 2023. She also taught animal law at McGill University’s Faculty of Law in 2017 and 2020.
Website - www.spca.com