Question Period Note: ENDING COSMETIC TESTING ON ANIMALS IN CANADA

• Non-governmental organizations, members of Parliament and concerned Canadians have pressed Health Canada to ban cosmetic animal testing. Since April 2021, the Department has received more than 68,000 correspondence items about banning cosmetic animal testing in Canada.

KEY MESSAGES
• Our Government recognizes that Canadians are concerned about the well-being of animals and supports the elimination of cosmetic animal testing.
• There have been significant advances in alternative testing methods that support reducing our reliance on animal testing.
• Our Government has committed to moving forward with legislation to end cosmetic testing on animals as soon as 2023.
• In addition, our Government will explore alternatives and take steps to reduce reliance on animal testing.
IF PRESSED
• Health Canada does not require animal testing to demonstrate the safety of cosmetics or cosmetic ingredients.

Non-governmental organizations, members of Parliament and concerned Canadians have pressed Health Canada to ban cosmetic animal testing.

The European Union banned the sale of cosmetic products and ingredients that have been tested on animals in March 2013. Health Canada supports the elimination of cosmetic animal testing.

In 2017, as part of a campaign by animal rights organizations, a Senate Public Bill (cruelty-free cosmetics) was introduced to propose amendments to the Food and Drugs Act that would ban cosmetic testing on animals. In June 2019, the Government of Canada announced its support for the bill, provided that key amendments were made. With the dissolution of 42nd Parliament, the bill died on the Order Paper.

There have been significant advances in alternative testing methods that support reducing our reliance on animal testing. In April 2021, the Government re-affirmed its commitment to reduce reliance on animal testing with the introduction of a bill proposing to strengthen the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999. The bill included an aspirational statement in the preamble to reduce, refine or replace the use of animals in the testing and assessment of substances. The bill was introduced at first reading when the 43rd Parliament was dissolved on August 15, 2021.

Since April 2021, the Department has received more than 68,000 correspondence items about banning cosmetic animal testing in Canada.

In September 2021, the Government committed in its campaign platform to introduce legislation to end cosmetic testing on animals as early as 2023 and to phase out toxicity testing on animals by 2035. Toxicity testing is used to evaluate and determine the safety of various products (e.g., medications) and it is often done by repeatedly dosing animals with potentially harmful substances over a period of time.

In November 2021, the Minister of Health received a letter from a collective of organizations representing industry, retailers and animal rights advocates supporting the end of cosmetic testing on animals. They indicated that they have reached a consensus on the necessity to align Canada’s amendments with the European Union’s ban on cosmetic animal testing, while working in the context of the Canadian regulatory framework.

To advance the Government’s platform commitment, Health Canada is proposing:

• legislative amendments to the Food and Drugs Act to end cosmetic testing on animals as soon as 2023; and
• to lead the development of policy options for a federal strategy to phase out toxicity testing on animals by 2035.

Cosmetic Animal Testing

Increasing concern for animal welfare has driven consumer demand for cruelty-free cosmetics and a global decline in cosmetic animal testing, with many alternatives either in use or in development.

To date, 41 countries have enacted measures to prohibit cosmetic animal testing (e.g., all European Union countries, Australia, United Kingdom, and South Korea). In 2009, an estimated 99% of cosmetic safety assessments in the European Union and United States did not rely on animal testing. In 2017, Cosmetics Alliance Canada indicated that more than 99% of new cosmetics are developed without testing on animals. Animal testing for the small remaining portion of cosmetic products is generally linked to an ingredient also used in a product where animal testing is required (e.g., pharmaceuticals), or for export to a foreign country (e.g., China).

Regulation of Cosmetic Products Under the Food and Drugs Act

The Food and Drugs Act and its Cosmetic Regulations set out the health and safety requirements for cosmetics in Canada. Industry must ensure that products:

• are safe for their intended use; and
• meet mandatory labelling requirements (i.e., list of ingredients and directions for safe use).

Health Canada does not require animal testing to demonstrate the safety of cosmetics or cosmetic ingredients; however, many ingredients found in other products tested on animals may also be used in cosmetics (e.g., a preservative used in a topical drug may also be used in a cosmetic). Health Canada continues to accept such safety data derived from animal testing, when submitted by companies.

Animal testing is required under other regulatory frameworks within Health Canada’s purview (e.g., drugs, natural health products, consumer chemicals), as well as for assessing the environmental and human impacts of new chemicals entering Canadian commerce. While there have been significant advancements in the development and implementation of non-animal testing methods, science has not yet progressed to the point where alternative methods can completely replace animal testing. There are several complex health endpoints relating to cancer, reproductive toxicity, and the way the body processes toxins that are lacking validated alternative methods to animal testing. The Department continues to support the development and use of alternatives to animal testing through the participation on national and international scientific committees.

KEY FACTS
• In September 2021, the Government committed in its campaign platform to introduce legislation to end cosmetic testing on animals as early as 2023 and to phase out toxicity testing on animals by 2035.
• To date, 41 countries have enacted measures to prohibit cosmetic animal testing (e.g., all European Union countries, Australia, United Kingdom, and South Korea). In 2009, an estimated 99% of cosmetic safety assessments in the European Union and United States did not rely on animal testing.
• Health Canada does not require animal testing to demonstrate the safety of cosmetics or cosmetic ingredients; however, many ingredients found in other products tested on animals may also be used in cosmetics.