Animal Justice is a Canadian animal advocacy organization based in Ontario, Canada. It is the only national animal law advocacy organization in the country. ^{1 2}

Animal Justice led a coalition of organizations that campaigned against Bill 156, the Security from Trespass and Food Safety Act, a law that would punish individuals who took jobs to purposefully become whistleblowers with fines up to $25,000. The bill was repealed in April 2024, although the Ontario government is appealing that decision as of June 2025. ³

Animal Justice’s executive director, Camille Labchuk, has worked for left-of-center organizations such as the Green Party of Canada and Humane Society International. ⁴

Background

Animal Justice is an animal advocacy organization based in Ontario, Canada. The organization was founded in 2008 by a group of animal rights lawyers, and is the only national animal law advocacy organization in Canada. ^{1 2}

Animal Justice began as a team of volunteers with a small budget but now, as of September 2025, according to an interview with Camille Labchuk, the organization has a team of around 20 full-time employees, and has received public donations and pro bono support from lawyers. The organization received its first major legislative victory in 2019 when it assisted in the passing of a national ban on whale and dolphin captivity. ^{1 5}

Advocacy

Bill 156, the Security from Trespass and Food Safety Act, was passed in Ontario in 2020. The law would punish individuals who gained employment to become whistleblowers with fines up to $25,000. ³

Animal Justice led a coalition of organizations that campaigned against the bill, eventually leading to Justice Markus Koehnen of the Ontario Superior Court striking down key provisions in the bill as unconstitutional. ^{3 5 6}

As of June 2025, the Ontario government is appealing the decision striking down Bill 156. ⁵

People

Animal Justice’s executive director is animal rights lawyer Camille Labchuk.  She was the press secretary of the Green Party of Canada from 2006 until 2008 and was a public relations specialist at Humane Society International, formerly the international-focused arm of the controversial animal-liberation advocacy organization Humane Society of the United States (HSUS). Humane Society International and the Humane Society of the United States merged into one organization that is known as Humane World for Animals. ^{4 7}

Labchuk was also a federal councillor for the Green Party of Canada from 2009 until 2012, and a board member for Mercy for Animals Canada, an animal liberation group that seeks to abolish animal agriculture, from 2012 until 2014. ⁸

Labchuk became the executive director of Animal Justice in October 2015, a position she holds as of September 2025, and is a trustee at the Animal Law Foundation, a charity that conducts legal research regarding animal welfare. ⁴

Funding

Animal Justice has received grants from private grantmaking organizations such as Open Philanthropy, previously called the Open Philanthropy Project, a left-of-center funding group founded in 2016 by political donor Cari Tuna and Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz. ^{9 10}

Open Philanthropy granted Animal Justice a total of CA$469,916 (around $340,348) in August 2022, and CA$400,000 (approximately $289,710) in March 2025. ⁹

Financial Information

Animal Justice had a total revenue of CA$598,740 (around $433,652) in 2023, while its total expenditures amounted to CA$636,260 (approximately $460,827) that same year. Animal Justice’s total assets amounted to CA$707,403 (around $512,354) in 2023. ¹¹

The organization’s total revenue amounted to CA$669,995 (around $485,260) in 2024, while its expenses amounted to CA $277,469 (just over $200,000). The organization’s total assets in 2024 equaled just over CA$1 million (around $724,275) in 2024. ¹¹

1. Parker, Tricia. “All-One Activist: Camille Labchuk of Canada’s Animal Justice on Building Stronger Animal-Protection Laws.” Dr. Bronner’s. September 2, 2025. Accessed September 15, 2025. https://info.drbronner.com/all-one-blog/2025/09/animal-justice/.
2. “About Us.” Animal Justice. Accessed September 15, 2025. https://animaljustice.ca/about-us.
3. “Last Chance for Animals.” Ag-Gag Laws. Accessed September 15, 2025. https://www.lcanimal.org/index.php/campaigns/ag-gag-laws.
4. “Camille Labchuk – Experience.” LinkedIn. Accessed September 15, 2025. https://www.linkedin.com/in/camillelabchuk/details/experience/.
5. “Animal Justice in Court as Ontario Tries to Overturn Ag-Gag Victory.” Animal Justice. June 24, 2025. Accessed September 15, 2025. https://animaljustice.ca/media-releases/animal-justice-in-court-as-ontario-tries-to-overturn-ag-gag-victory.
6. “Last Chance for Animals.” EndAgGag. Accessed September 15, 2025. https://www.lcanimal.org/index.php/end-aggag-laws.
7. “New Name, Same Mission.” Humane World for Animals. Accessed September 15, 2025. https://www.humaneworld.org/en/about-us/our-new-brand.
8. ^[1] “Camille Labchuk – Experience.” LinkedIn. Accessed September 15, 2025. https://www.linkedin.com/in/camillelabchuk/details/experience/.
9. “Grants.” Open Philanthropy. Accessed September 15, 2025. https://www.openphilanthropy.org/grants/?q=animal+justice.
10. “Press Kit.” Open Philanthropy. Accessed September 15, 2025. https://www.openphilanthropy.org/press-kit/.
11. “Animal Justice Canada — Charity Data.” Accessed September 15, 2025. https://www.charitydata.ca/charity/animal-justice-canada/803997212RR0001/.