First of its kind in Canada, program creates opportunities for discourse and academic study in animal law
On September 12, 2025, the Animal Law Program officially launched at U of T Law. Hailed as the first of its kind in Canada, the Animal Law Program will expand the course and seminar offerings related to animal law, create student fellowships, as well as increase the research and practical opportunities for animal law at the school. The program has been generously supported by donations from the Hadley Family Foundation.
Animal law is a complex area of law that examines the legal and regulatory frameworks that regulate non-human animals. It focuses on the ways animals are viewed, treated, and protected (or not protected) under these frameworks. The theory of animal law is heavily influenced by evolving concepts of animal rights and overlaps with various areas of law such as property law, criminal law, constitutional law, and family law.
Current topics in animal law include amendments to British Columbia’s Family Law Act, which added factors considering the animal’s best interests when deciding who keeps companion animals in family law disputes, and the constitutionality of “ag gag” (agriculture gag) laws that prohibit some of the practices used by animal rights activists to investigate slaughterhouses and farms.
There are currently two courses in animal law offered at U of T Law. The core animal law course, Animals and the Law (LAW253H1F), has been offered since 2021 and is taught by Professor Angela Fernandez, the Director of the Animal Law Program.
This fall, a new seminar course was introduced called The Laws of Human and Animal Relations (LAW327H1F). The course is taught by M.H. Tse, the inaugural postdoctoral fellow in animal law who also organized the exhibit: “Necessary Cruelty: The Legal Technology of Domestic Predation” on display at the Bora Laskin Law library until November 21.
I spoke with Professor Fernandez over video call about the history of animal law programming at U of T Law and how she became involved in the field.
Professor Fernandez joined U of T Law in 2004 with a focus on legal history. Her interest in animal law began while working on a project examining Pierson v Post (the infamous property case involving a saucy intruder and a dispute over a fox). After receiving questions about the animal perspective of the case, she started thinking about how the fox was treated by the law and the treatment of animals as a broader legal, ethical, and moral issue.
Since then, Professor Fernandez has been heavily involved in the expansion of animal law programming and events at U of T Law. Since 2013, she has organized the Working Group on Animals in the Law and the Humanities. Since 2021, she has overseen the production of the Canadian edition of Animal Law Digest in collaboration with the Brooks Institute for Animal Rights Law and Policy. The Animal Law Digest is published twice a month and provides updates on legislation, litigation, advocacy, and academia related to animal law in Canada. She also oversees U of T Law’s Animal Research Guide, which provides a collection of resources for researching animal law.
Professor Fernandez says there has been a “tremendous” and “positive” response to the launch of the Animal Law Program. She noted that the funding will allow for hiring a program coordinator to help organize and run more in-person events and programming. She said that some future goals would be a specialization or focus area designation in animal law and a long-term goal would be the establishment of an interdepartmental centre.
More information about the Animal Law Program is available on the Faculty of Law website.