Environmental and animal ethics
Environmental and animal ethics
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De choses à êtres sentients : 10 ans après la réforme du droit animalier @ Cinema DeSève followed by a reception in the lobby J.W. McConnell Building (library) at Concordia University
15 May 9 h 00 – 16 May 19 h 00
This first conference of the Observatoire québécois en droit animalier, organized in collaboration with Concordia University’s Social Justice Centre and the Centre de recherche en éthique (CRÉ), with the support of the Université de Sherbrooke and the Chambre des notaires du Québec, invites reflection on the ten-year period following the 2015 reform of animal law, which, from a legal standpoint, shifted the status of animals from things to sentient beings.
To register for the event, please click here.
May 15, 2026 – Intensive Research Workshop (by invitation)
This research workshop on animals provides a space for reflection and discussion centered on works in progress. It is open to research concerning animals across a range of disciplines, including law, philosophy, history, sociology, anthropology, political science, cultural studies, literature, and related fields.
This intensive workshop is conceived as a privileged opportunity for researchers to engage in in-depth exchanges with one another about a work in progress or a publication project, in a more intimate setting than that of the main conference, while also fostering lasting connections within the research community concerned with animals. It enables participants to discuss their research projects in small groups and to receive constructive critical feedback in preparation for conference presentations, publications, or job talks. The aim is to help researchers refine, enrich, and deepen their ideas.
Format
The workshop day will be devoted to the discussion of four papers. Each paper will be discussed in a session structured as follows: a researcher will first briefly present their work in progress. The paper will have been circulated to participants in advance, allowing for careful prior reading. A designated respondent will then offer comments on the paper. Workshop participants will subsequently engage in constructive discussion, questions, and critique of the work.
May 16, 2026 – Conference opened to the public
8:30 am – 9:00 am Registration and welcome 9:00 am – 9:15 am Opening remarks 9:15 am – 10:15 am Comparative perspectives: Reforming animal law in France and Québec
- Sophie Gaillard (SPCA)
- Romy Sutra (Université Toulouse Capitole)
10:15 am – 12:15 pm Reforming the foundations of law
- Virginie Simoneau-Gilbert (Université Queen’s)
- Michaël Lessard (Université de Sherbrooke)
- Hania Kassoul (Université Côte d’Azur)
- Alexandra Popovici (Université de Sherbrooke)
12:15 – 1:30 pm Lunch 1:30 pm – 3:00 pm Reforming legal practice
- Marie-Claude St-Amant (Melançon Marceau Grenier Cohen)
- Chloé Surprenant (BFGJ & Morasses Avocats)
- Nicolas Morello (Communauté Droit animalier Québec – DAQ)
3:00 pm – 3:30 pm Break 3:30 pm – 5:00 pm Those left behind by Québec animal law
- Stéphanie Roy (Université de Sherbrooke)
- Gabrielle Perras St-Jean (INRS)
5:00 pm – 7:00 pm Reception with vegan hors d’oeuvres *Please note that the workshop will be conducted in French.
For any inquiries: info@oqda.org
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David J. Holroyd (University of Sheffield) @ Room 309, CRE, hybrid
12 h 00 – 13 h 30
The CRÉ, the Social Justice Centre (SJC) and the Research Group on Environmental and Animal Ethics (GRÉEA) are pleased to welcome David J. Holroyd (University of Sheffield), who will give a talk entitled Navigating the Leviathan: A Skeptical Ethos for Animal Politics.
Abstract
Within contemporary Animal Politics, the state is frequently positioned as the primary vehicle for justice, with animals framed as the ‘next frontier’ for integration via legal rights and representation. However, this extensionist approach frequently overlooks the state’s historic role in facilitating the systemic exclusion and political subordination of nonhuman animals. Given this reality, how should animalist scholars orient themselves toward the state?
This presentation proposes a skeptical ethos toward the state, moving beyond the binary of statist optimism and anarchist dismissal. The talk addresses three core features of this orientation:
1) Recognising historical realities: State-building projects have historically caused many animal injustices, undermining the state’s presumed emancipatory potential.
2) Engaging with imperfect institutions: Political complexities must be navigated case-by-case, since an outright rejection of statist approaches may expose animals to more severe injustices.
3) Expanding political imaginations: To envisage radical forms of politics beyond the anthropocentric status quo, one must step outside an exclusively statist framework for ‘doing politics’.
By cultivating a skeptical ethos, scholars (and activists) can move beyond entrenched dogmas to discover more reliable, nuanced, and effective modes of political engagement with the Leviathan.
Biography:
David John Holroyd is a PhD candidate in political theory at the University of Sheffield, funded by the White Rose College of Arts and Humanities. His research broadly addresses the themes of animal justice, state power, social identity, and the role of academic ideas in public debate.
Chair:
Juliette Roussin (Université Laval).
To participate on Zoom, click here (Meeting ID: 704 532 7051; Secret code: 9Me2EW).
