The Canadian government introduced legislation that would finally ban the testing of cosmetics on animals as well as the sale of animal-tested cosmetics!
This exciting initiative is outlined in Bill C-47, the Budget Implementation Act, which gives effects to announcements made in the 2023 federal budget, including a prohibition on cosmetic animal testing. Banning cosmetic testing was also one of the governing Liberals’ promises in the last federal election.
Cosmetic Animal Testing Ban Way Overdue
Canada is lagging behind other developed nations when it comes to ending cosmetic tests on animals. The European Union banned cosmetic animal testing and the sale of cosmetics tested on animals a decade ago.
Comparable restrictions are already in effect in over 40 countries and several jurisdictions worldwide, including major US states like California, New York, and New Jersey, as well as the UK, New Zealand, Mexico, Australia, Colombia, and Israel.
In Canada, laboratories that voluntarily disclosed their data report using more than 3.5 million animals for experiments in 2021.
Animals including mice, rats, rabbits, and guinea pigs are forced to endure horrific procedures to assess the safety of products. This includes being force-fed toxic substances until they die, or being exposed to cruel eye and skin irritation tests, where chemicals are dripped onto their eyes and shaved skin without any pain relief.
Support a Cruelty-Free Future
It is high time for Canada to catch up to other nations and end cosmetic animal testing. The majority of Canadians want to see this change too—polling shows that 88% of Canadians support a national ban on cosmetic tests on animals.
Please join us by calling on Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos to ban cosmetic animal testing as quickly as possible!
