Research Guides: Animal Law: Veganism and Discrimination

Veganism and Discrimination

Book Chapters

Leading Cases

Knauff v Ontario (Natural Resources and Forestry), 2023 HRTO 1729
Human Rights Law
(2023) The Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario denied Adam Knauff's discrimination claim against his employer for being denied vegan food while fighting wildfires in British Columbia. Knauff faced disciplinary actions after expressing frustration over inadequate vegan options. The case questioned whether veganism qualifies as a “creed,” a protected ground under the Ontario Human Rights Code. Although the Tribunal acknowledged non-religious creed protection, it rejected ethical veganism for not addressing “ultimate questions of human existence beyond [humans’ relationships with other animals and the natural environment] or the existence or nonexistence of a higher or different order of existence and/or a Creator.”