Angela Lee | University of Alberta (original) (raw)

Papers by Angela Lee

Journal of Food Law & Policy, 2024

As digital platforms have become more popular, including those relating to food ordering and deli... more As digital platforms have become more popular, including those relating to food ordering and delivery, the range of both their positive and negative impacts have become more apparent. In response, governments in various jurisdictions have made efforts at regulating such platforms, as part of their mandate of balancing complex and often competing goals in the public interest.

Unfortunately, attempts at governing digital platforms to date have largely proven ineffective at checking the power of the large corporations that are behind their growth and expansion. Drawing on two relatively recent developments at the intersection of food, infrastructure, technology, and governance–namely, Microenterprise Home Kitchen Operations and cloud kitchens–I argue that a critical assessment of these new forms of online food marketplace further supports the need for robust regulatory oversight of digital platforms, including through enforcing existing standards established in food laws. Due to their capacity to introduce long-term and broad-scale impacts into our societies and economies–marking a transition towards a world increasingly dominated by the interests of private enterprise–it is important to ensure that all relevant regulatory regimes can appropriately uphold the shared and core values that protect our health, environment, civic life, and capacity for flourishing writ large. In so doing, regulatory responses need to appropriately account for the wider context in which such platforms operate, including the values and priorities explicitly or implicitly embedded in the platform business model and in understandings of regulation in the public interest.

Dalhousie Law Journal, 2023

Recently, policymakers, institutional actors, and the public have made greater efforts towards be... more Recently, policymakers, institutional actors, and the public have made greater efforts towards being attentive to issues relating to anti-racism and discrimination, as well as equity, diversity, and inclusion more broadly, prompted in part by growing calls for reconciliation with Indigenous peoples and the increasing visibility of the Black Lives Matter movement. Yet, there has been a relative dearth of attention paid to the specific ways in which anti-Asian racism manifests and is maintained, particularly in the Canadian context. More than just being a relic of the past, anti-Asian racism is an ongoing phenomenon both within and beyond Canada’s borders, as events in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic have painfully demonstrated.

This article identifies some of the ways that laws and policies have contributed and continue to contribute to the oppression of Asian people in Canada. It considers the role of legal education in both perpetuating and addressing systemic racism, especially vis-à-vis Critical Race Theory and the recent backlash against it and argues that members of the legal profession—and by extension, the law schools that educate them—have a professional and moral responsibility to take seriously the historic and contemporary experiences of exclusion to which all marginalized groups have been subjected. In so doing, it emphasizes the importance of understanding various struggles for racial justice as profoundly interconnected and inseparable, but also distinct.

Food Ethics, 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought to light significant failures and fragilities in our food, heal... more The COVID-19 pandemic has brought to light significant failures and fragilities in our food, health, and market systems. Concomitantly, it has emphasized the urgent need for a critical re-evaluation of many of the policies and practices that have created the conditions in which viral pathogens can spread. However, there are many factors that are complicating this process; among others, the uncertain, rapidly evolving, and often poorly reported science surrounding the virus' origins has contributed to a politically charged and often rancorous public debate, which is concerning insofar as the proliferation of divisive discourse may hinder efforts to address complex and collective concerns in a mutually cooperative manner. In developing ethical and effective responses to the disproportionate risks associated with certain food production and consumption practices, we argue that the focus should be on mitigating such risks wherever they arise, instead of seeking to ascribe blame to specific countries or cultures. To this end, this article is an effort to inject some nuance into contemporary conversations about COVID-19 and its broader implications, particularly when it comes to trade in wildlife, public health, and food systems reform. If COVID-19 is to represent a turning point towards building a more equitable, sustainable, and resilient world for both humans and nonhuman animals alike, the kind of fractioning that is currently being exacerbated by the use of loaded terms such as "wet market" must be eschewed in favour of a greater recognition of our fundamental interconnectedness.

Animal Studies Journal, 2021

Unsurprisingly, the circumstances and challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic have gene... more Unsurprisingly, the circumstances and challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic have generated strong reactions. Among the more notable, Canadian musician and animal activist Bryan Adams made headlines when he went on a tirade on social media denouncing 'fucking bat eating, wet market animal selling, virus making greedy bastards' and advocating for veganism. This article uses this incident as a prism through which to examine the values and assumptions informing some of the central debates within the mainstream animal advocacy movement today. Certainly, there is an urgent need for a critical re-evaluation of the policies and practices that have created the conditions in which viral pathogens can spread, especially those relating to our treatment of nonhuman animals (and our relationship with nature more broadly). However, the roots of the problem are fundamentally structural, and not attributable to any one country or culture. The thoughtless use of terms that contribute to a politically charged and rancorous public debate readily descends into a lose-lose battle, which may hinder efforts to address complex and collective concerns in a mutually cooperative manner. If COVID-19 is to represent a turning point towards building a more equitable, sustainable, and resilient world for humans and nonhuman animals alike, the kind of fractioning that is currently being exacerbated by the use of divisive discourse must be eschewed in favour of a greater recognition of our fundamental interconnectedness, including through a more pluralistic understanding of law.

Food Law and Policy in Canada, 2019

Windsor Review of Legal and Social Issues, 2019

Dalhousie Law Journal, 2018

This Article considers some of the different food innovations being presented as potential soluti... more This Article considers some of the different food innovations being presented as potential solutions to the myriad problems associated with conventional models of industrial agriculture. Specifically, in vitro meat (IVM) and plant-based alternatives to animal products—and their corresponding regulatory and market structures—are compared and contrasted. Examining the idiosyncrasies around Canada’s approach to regulating these products reveals that the respective degrees of scrutiny may not be commensurate with the respective degrees of risk, due in part to the influence of powerful industry actors who wish to maintain the status quo. Given the significance and scope of the problems implicated by the industrial food production system, favouring special economic interests comes at the detriment of a much wider group of stakeholders. As such, the governance of new food innovations requires a more critical and thoughtful approach if it is to better reflect shared aspirations for a more just and sustainable food system for all.

Even in the midst of an ecological crisis, population and income continue to increase and so too ... more Even in the midst of an ecological crisis, population and income continue to increase and so too does the global appetite for meat. One response by scientists has been to work towards making in vitro meat (IVM) a commercial reality, which would allow meat to be produced on a large scale without the husbandry and slaughter of enormous numbers of animals, as under the current industrial meat production system. Proponents of IVM technology claim that it could cut hunger, offer public health benefits, mitigate the environmental effects of conventional industrial meat production, and improve animal welfare. However, taking a critical, ecofeminist perspective on IVM highlights the need to assess not only the technical attributes and possibilities of the technology but also its underlying worldview as well as the unintended social and environmental consequences that could result. Reflecting on the question of whether IVM is a pragmatic, problematic, or paradoxical solution to the ills associated with industrial meat production and increasing meat consumption, this article argues that optimistic claims trumpeting the promissory potential of IVM are over-simplistic and warrant closer scrutiny. The importance of careful deliberation on the implications of emerging technologies like IVM cannot be understated because how the ethical discourse unfolds in the early stages will be significant in influencing public perception and social acceptance as well as shaping policy and regulatory design.

Ottawa Law Review, 2019

Given the dismal state of world fisheries and their continuing decline—exacerbated by climate cha... more Given the dismal state of world fisheries and their continuing decline—exacerbated by climate change—aquaculture is touted by some to be a promising means for fulfilling the growing global demand for seafood, as reflected in its rapid growth as a segment of the global food system. However, large-scale aquaculture presents a complex set of environmental and social issues, and the introduction of genetically engineered fish and seafood add a further layer of complexity to the already contentious nature of conventional aquaculture practices. This article is a critical analysis of aquaculture regulation in Canada. In addition to setting out some of the major issues posed by industrialized aquaculture, it argues that shifting the " production " of seafood from marine fisheries to aquaculture merely shifts the cause of environmental damages. Further, in the context of food security, large-scale aquaculture is an inadequate and oversimplified solution to the problems raised by coastal and Indigenous populations' reliance on declining fisheries resources. Specifically, using two case studies, this paper criticizes the overreliance within the current system on dominant risk paradigms, which are often closely informed by science. Yet, the relationship between law and science is fraught with tensions, as the two have notably different priorities and methods. In rethinking the role of aquaculture in natural marine resource management, especially in a changing climate, it is important to ensure that careful regard is given to the socio-cultural factors, inequities, and environmental degradation that are inherent in the production of seafood.

Canadian Food Studies, 2018

New food technologies are touted by some to be an indispensable part of the toolkit when it comes... more New food technologies are touted by some to be an indispensable part of the toolkit when it comes to feeding a growing population, especially when factoring in the growing appetite for animal products. To this end, technologies like genetically engineered (GE) animals and in vitro meat are currently in various stages of research and development, with proponents claiming a myriad of justificatory benefits. However, it is important to consider not only the technical attributes and promissory possibilities of these technologies, but also the worldviews that are being imported in turn, as well as the unanticipated social and environmental consequences that could result. In addition to critiquing dominant paradigms, the inclusive, intersectional ecofeminist perspective presented here offers a different way of thinking about new food technologies, with the aim of exposing inherent biases, rejecting a view of institutions like science and law as being objective, and advancing methods and rationales for a more explicitly ethical form of decision-making. Alternative and marginalized perspectives are especially valuable in this context, because careful reflection on the range of concerns implicated by new food technologies is necessary in order to better evaluate whether or not they can contribute to the building of a more sustainable and just food system for all.

UBC Law Review, 2015

In today’s world, markets eclipse governments in terms of economic activity; consequently, the in... more In today’s world, markets eclipse governments in terms of economic activity; consequently, the influence that corporations have on our political, economic, environmental, and social realities is significant. As concern about the increasing size, scope, and impact of corporations has proliferated, there has been mounting pressure on corporations to exercise responsibilities as well as rights, as evidenced by the growth of the corporate social responsibility and social enterprise movements. Partly as a result of this pressure, as well as its own internal stresses, corporate law has been undergoing a period of tumult.

Hybrid corporate models have been one response to the cries for change, and British Columbia (BC) recently became the first jurisdiction in Canada to formally adopt such a model. This article compares and contrasts BC’s Community Contribution Company with other, more established hybrid models in the United States and the United Kingdom, and finds the BC model lacking on three grounds – it is vague, voluntary, and void. Despite these concerns, this article examines the opportunities for hybrid models as well as the challenges posed, arguing that the values that hybrid models strive towards represent the kind of shift that is necessary in order to realize a more sustainable system.

Animal Law Review, 2017

Using a feminist theoretical perspective and drawing on examples from Canada and the United State... more Using a feminist theoretical perspective and drawing on examples from Canada and the United States, this Article considers the promises and pitfalls of language and narrative in the context of animal advocacy efforts. Because the animal advocacy movement faces an uphill battle on a number of fronts, leveraging language and narrative more conscientiously can help enhance its success. Elucidating the equivocal nature of the premises on which our current social and legal conceptualization of nonhuman animals lies can prompt a shift in the dominant modes of thinking about nonhuman animals, thereby stimulating meaningful change in their treatment. However , it is not only the message that matters, but also how that message is conveyed. Narratives offer a potentially more compassionate, less antagonistic way of drawing attention to nonhuman animal suffering in order to trigger an interruption in established ways of thinking that posit that nonhuman animals are outside of the realm of moral considerability and, therefore, outside the bounds of legal protection.