Session F: Animal Work and the Public Sector: Helping Animals and the People Who Care for Them
Sub-theme
Policy
Keywords
Public Sector Work, Public policy, Animal Welfare, Animal Well-Being
Start Date
12-10-2018 3:00 PM
End Date
12-10-2018 4:15 PM
Abstract
This presentation considers the intersections of human and animal well-being, and the possibilities for improving both. Using the lenses of interspecies solidarity and humane jobs, I examine animal care and protection work in Manitoba. Manitoba has a publicly-funded Chief Veterinary Office (CVO) which offers a unique Veterinary Services Diagnostic Lab to care for both companion and livestock animals. The CVO also regulates animal cruelty/welfare enforcement officers, standing in stark contrast to other Canadian provinces which have predominantly privatized care and charities enforcing animal cruelty legislation. Drawing from policy analysis and interviews with front-line workers in the CVO, in this presentation I will outline preliminary findings, paying particular attention to the strengths and limitations of the Manitoban approach for people and animals. I am especially interested in considering the efficacy of a public system for women workers in the veterinary and animal cruelty investigation field, whether public animal care can help combat compassion fatigue, depression, and burnout among workers, and the implications a public system has in caring for the province's animals. This analysis will thus contribute to scholarship on the current and future roles of animals in public policy and offer lessons for other jurisdictions.
Session F: Animal Work and the Public Sector: Helping Animals and the People Who Care for Them
This presentation considers the intersections of human and animal well-being, and the possibilities for improving both. Using the lenses of interspecies solidarity and humane jobs, I examine animal care and protection work in Manitoba. Manitoba has a publicly-funded Chief Veterinary Office (CVO) which offers a unique Veterinary Services Diagnostic Lab to care for both companion and livestock animals. The CVO also regulates animal cruelty/welfare enforcement officers, standing in stark contrast to other Canadian provinces which have predominantly privatized care and charities enforcing animal cruelty legislation. Drawing from policy analysis and interviews with front-line workers in the CVO, in this presentation I will outline preliminary findings, paying particular attention to the strengths and limitations of the Manitoban approach for people and animals. I am especially interested in considering the efficacy of a public system for women workers in the veterinary and animal cruelty investigation field, whether public animal care can help combat compassion fatigue, depression, and burnout among workers, and the implications a public system has in caring for the province's animals. This analysis will thus contribute to scholarship on the current and future roles of animals in public policy and offer lessons for other jurisdictions.
