Defending and protecting all animals
Since 1869, the Montreal SPCA has been a key political player, recognized for being in the vanguard of progress with regard to animal protection in Quebec and Canadian society. Our deep commitment to defending animals of all species is a defining characteristic of our organization.
This vital work is carried out by our specialized animal advocacy team, whose mission is to speak on behalf of animals, defend their interests, strengthen their protection and increase the consideration they are given by society.
The team fulfills this mission by driving legislative and policy reform, fighting in court to advance animal law, and raising public awareness of animal protection issues while mobilizing civic engagement.
The Montreal SPCA’s animal advocacy team has fought many and varied battles to strengthen animal protection and has played a key role in securing important victories for animals. As the main driving force behind legislative change in this area, it has truly transformed Quebec animal law over the past decade.
Support our mission by making a donation today. Together, let’s build a better world for animals.
Our landmark actions for animal protection
- Intervention in a case before the Tribunal administratif du logement (TAL) challenging a lease clause prohibiting the keeping of animals in a rental housing unit (2023–2025)
- Permanent authorization of dogs in the Montreal metro, along with a commitment to implement a pilot project on the Société de transport de Montréal (STM) bus network in 2026, following our large-scale citizen mobilization campaign, “Fido in the Metro” (2024)
- Tabling of a provincial bill to render “no-pet” clauses in residential leases null and void, in response to our sustained efforts to have these clauses invalidated (2023)
- First public position taken by a major provincial political party on the need to regulate on-farm conditions for animals raised for food, following our province-wide campaign on the issue (2023)
- Production of Quebec’s first podcast on animal protection (2023)
- Intervention in the Longueuil deer cull case, including appearances before the Quebec Superior Court and Court of Appeal on responsible wildlife management and the legal implications of recognizing animal sentience (2022–2023)
- Province-wide ban on gas chambers, cat declawing, ear cropping, and tail docking, resulting from our lobbying efforts and public awareness campaigns (2022)
- Organization of election debates on animal protection at the federal (2021, 2025), municipal (2021, 2025), and provincial (2022) levels
- Ban on horse-drawn carriages in Montreal and adoption of the most progressive municipal animal bylaw in the province, including mandatory sterilization; bans on electronic, prong, and choke collars; and a prohibition on the sale of cats, dogs, and rabbits in pet stores unless sourced from shelters, following sustained advocacy by our team (2018)
- Successful campaign against breed-specific legislation at both the municipal (City of Montreal) and provincial levels, including litigation against the City of Montreal, sustained lobbying at both levels of government, and extensive public awareness campaigns (2016–2018)
- Adoption of a new provision in the Civil Code of Québec recognizing animals as sentient beings (s. 898.1), along with the Animal Welfare and Safety Act, Quebec’s first provincial law entirely devoted to animal protection, following our “Animals Are Not Things” campaign (2015)
View the recent animal advocacy work accomplished by the Montreal SPCA:
Listen to the Montreal SPCA podcast*
We love our cats and dogs… But are we just as concerned about the plight of other animals? Are there enough laws protecting them? Do we have any moral obligation to protect them?
* in French only
