51³Ô¹Ï

Topic

When Empathy Becomes a Crime: The Repression and Criminalization of Animal Activism in Canada

Department of Sociology

Date & location

• Thursday, June 5, 2025

• 11:00 A.M.

• Cornett Building

• Room A317

Reviewers

Supervisory Committee

• Dr. Anelyse Weiler, Department of Sociology, 51³Ô¹Ï (Supervisor)

• Dr. Peyman Vahabzadeh, Department of Sociology, UVic (Member)

• Dr. James K. Rowe, School of Environmental Studies, UVic (Outside Member) 

External Examiner

• Dr. Elizabeth Cherry, Division of Social Science and Communication, Manhattanville University 

Chair of Oral Examination

• Dr. Lucinda Brown, Department of Educational Psychology and Leadership Studies, UVic

   

Abstract

This dissertation explores the historical and contemporary repression and criminalization of animal rights activists in Canada. While the current literature on social movements is rife with the documentation and analysis of many historical and current social movements, the animal liberation movement is often missing in these considerations, especially within the Canadian context. There is a notable absence of comprehensive, historical examinations of how animal activism has been repressed in Canada, and activist perspectives are often underrepresented in the existing literature. My dissertation therefore directly responds to this gap in the literature, bringing the animal liberation movement into greater visibility within academic discourse on social movements. Employing a mixed-methods approach, the dissertation combines archival research with original qualitative data gathered through oral history interviews with animal activists, animal lawyers, and legal scholars. This triangulation of data allowed for the construction of a detailed timeline of the animal rights movement in Canada and an analysis of the strategic and collaborative efforts used by state and private actors to repress dissent and protect the animal industrial complex. The research findings reveal that the repressive tactics used against Canadian animal activists closely parallel those seen within the United Kingdom and the United States, pointing to a transnational pattern of ideological and structural repression of the animal rights movement. Further, this dissertation also explores activists’ emotional responses to their repression, specifically pride, hope, fear, and frustration, and the ways in which these emotions impact their engagement in activism. Rather than deterring advocacy, repression has, in many cases, deepened activists’ commitment to their cause. This dissertation contributes to understandings of social movement repression, the role of emotions in activism, and the broader dynamics of advocacy work. By centering activist voices that are often excluded from academic discourse, it serves as both a scholarly contribution and a resource for activists, advancing critical discussions on repression, resistance, and social justice advocacy in increasingly hostile political climates.