Foreword

• Author: Claire L'Heureux-Dubé
• Pages: 11-12

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Foreword

Martin Luther King Jr famously said that “the arc of the moral universe

is long, but it bends towards justice.” I have long been a subscriber to this

ideal, and have held f‌irm in my belief that the law will provide justice to

those who deserve it. This justice may not always come quickly, but it does

come. The institutions we have created to root out inequality and unfair-

ness are not always prompt, but they have shown a remarkable ability to

recognize the interests of the deserving, if only eventually.

To be sure, this journey will take longer for the weakest of creatures

in our world, but it is heartening to see that it has begun — and this book

is undeniably an important part of the process. In any struggle, a critic-

al aspect of moving society forward involves bringing new ideas to light

and subjecting them to vigorous debate. Without this sort of discussion,

it is simply too easy for those in power to dismiss the claims of the power-

less entirely. It follows that prompting such discussion and nurturing it

is a critical part of the journey. In the pages that follow, a wide variety of

issues relating to animals are considered in probing detail. Readers may

not agree with every point raised — but they will undoubtedly be pro-

voked to think about them (as I have), which is a large part of the objective.

While it is true that the courts have yet to consider the merits of legal

claims raised on behalf of animals in any serious way, this does not mean

they never will. A major benef‌it of Canadian law is its inherent f‌lexibility