Sophie Gaillard

One of the first and leading animal protection lawyers in Quebec and Canada, Sophie Gaillard has worked at the Montreal SPCA since 2013. As Director of Animal Advocacy and Legal and Government Affairs, she oversees the organization’s efforts to advance animal law and strengthen animal protection legislation and public policy at the municipal, provincial and federal levels. She also acts as head legal counsel, government relations expert and spokesperson for the SPCA. Sophie notably spearheaded the campaigns that led to the banning of cat declawing in Quebec, the authorization of dogs in the Montreal metro and the adoption of a new provision in the Civil Code of Quebec recognizing animals as sentient beings. She is frequently consulted by governments and political parties on proposed legislation and regulations affecting animal welfare and regularly appears as an animal law expert in provincial, national and international French- and English-language media. A guest speaker at numerous animal protection conferences, she is also a member of the prestigious Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics. Sophie was head of the SPCA’s Investigations Division from 2018 to 2020 and served as Interim Executive Director of the organization in 2022 and 2023. She is a graduate of McGill University's Faculty of Law, where she taught animal law in 2017 and 2020.

Session: Beyond Property: Pets, Housing, and Family Law Reform in Canada