ANIMAL RIGHTS – ‘Ag gag’ laws on farm animal treatment topic for TRU lecture

Thompson Rivers University’s (TRU) first Inaugural Professorial Lecture of 2024 will feature a conversation on agricultural gag laws, or ag gag laws, that criminalize and punish undercover reporting about farm animal treatment.

TRU Law faculty member and animal law expert Katie Sykes, who was appointed tripartite professor in 2023, highlights the problems with ag gag laws. Her public lecture, Ag gag in Canada: Animal farms and the right to know, looks at the legal gaps in regulation of factory farming, why it’s hard to get information about what happens on farms and whether ag gag legislation violates Charter expression rights.

“Many Canadians don’t realize that our animal protection laws are already among the worst in the world,” says Sykes.

“Now that we are adding on ag gag laws that prevent exposing cruelty on farms, we are creating a kind of law-free and accountability-free zone for animal agriculture. That should concern everyone who cares about constitutional rights and the rule of law, whether or not they’re interested in animal protection.”

TRU and Kamloops communities are encouraged to attend the lecture, which is part of a series providing an opportunity to meet professors and gain an understanding of their scholarship, research and teaching.

Date and time:
Tuesday, Feb. 13
4: 30 – 6 p.m.
In-person seating is limited at the lecture, so please RSVP by Saturday, Feb. 10.

Location:
TRU Kamloops – 805 TRU Way
Scratch Café in the Culinary Arts Centre