Skip to main content

431-00206 (Animals)

Paper petition

Original language of petition: English

PETITION TO THE HOUSE OF COMMONS

We, the undersigned residents of Canada, draw the attention of the House of Commons to the following:

THAT animal testing is unnecessary to prove the safety of cosmetic products and alternative safety tests tend to be faster, more accurate and cheaper to perform than tests conducted using animals;

WHEREAS a ban on cosmetic animal testing would not impact current cosmetic products for sale in Canada;

WHEREAS the European Union (EU), one of the largest cosmetic markets in the world, banned cosmetic animal testing in 2013, and their cosmetic industry continues to grow;

WHEREAS with the completion of the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), it makes sense to harmonize cosmetic safety regulations with the EU to encourage trade;

WHEREAS numerous countries have already successfully made the switch to using alternative safety tests, including: India, Turkey, Israel, Guatemala, Norway, Iceland, Serbia, New Zealand and Switzerland;

WHEREAS Canadians overwhelmingly support a ban on cosmetic animal testing, with over half a million residents signing a petition calling for a global ban;

THEREFORE, your petitioners call upon the House of Commons to support Bill S-214 and ban the sale and/or manufacture of animal tested cosmetics and their ingredients in Canada moving forward.

Response by the Minister of Health

Signed by (Minister or Parliamentary Secretary): Darren Fisher

We recognize that Canadians are concerned about the well-being of animals and the potential harm caused by testing cosmetic products or their ingredients on animals.

Health Canada supports the elimination of animal testing for cosmetics. We are committed to the responsible and ethical use of animals in research and support the development and use of alternatives to animal testing through its participation on national and international scientific committees. The Department works with its international counterparts from the International Cooperation on Cosmetics Regulation (ICCR) to promote alternatives to animal testing, and to expedite their international acceptance through participation in the International Cooperation on Alternative Test Methods (ICATM) framework and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development‘s Test Guidelines Program. Departmental officials are also collaborating with the Canadian Centre for Alternatives to Animal Methods (CCAAM) at the University of Windsor.

Fortunately, animal testing – for demonstrating cosmetic safety – has significantly declined worldwide as alternative test methods are developed and accepted. As of 2009, an estimated 99% of cosmetic safety assessments in the European Union and the United States did not involve animal testing.

However, Health Canada continues to promote alternative test methods, domestically and globally, to reduce and ultimately eliminate animal testing for cosmetics. That’s why the Government was supportive of Bill S-214 and sought to align the legislation with the approach taken by the European Union. Unfortunately, with the dissolution of the 42nd Parliament, Bill S-214 died on the Order Paper in September 2019.

As you indicated, the European Union currently bans testing on animals specifically for meeting the requirements of their Cosmetics Regulation. That being said, animal testing data can still be used to support the safety of a cosmetic sold in the EU if performed in order to meet the requirements of other non-cosmetic regulations.

Presented to the House of Commons
Paul Manly (Nanaimo—Ladysmith)
May 20, 2020 (Petition No. 431-00206)
Government response tabled
July 20, 2020
Photo - Paul Manly
Nanaimo—Ladysmith
Green Party Caucus
British Columbia

200 signatures

Only validated signatures are counted towards the total number of signatures.