Canada officially bans cosmetic testing on animals

Jun 22 2023, 11:22 pm

Animal rights organizations in Canada are celebrating the latest legislation that just got passed which bans cosmetic testing on animals.

On Thursday, June 22, the Canadian government passed measures through the Budget Implementation Act, Bill C-47. The latest amendments prohibit selling cosmetics that “rely on new animal testing data to establish the product’s safety, and false or misleading labelling pertaining to the testing of cosmetics on animals.”

A coalition of animal protection advocates and beauty industry leaders say they’ve been “working closely with the Canadian government for several years to advance workable legislation to ban cosmetics animal testing in Canada.”

Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Health, Government of Canada, said in a release that “testing cosmetics on animals is both cruel and unnecessary.”

“That is why we are proud to move forward on our promise to ban cosmetic animal testing and trade. Protecting animals now and in the future is something many Canadians have been advocating for and now, we can all be assured that cosmetics in Canada are cruelty-free, and we will continue to take all necessary measures to improve animal welfare.”

Michael Bernard, the deputy director of Humane Society International/Canada, said that “Canada is getting a cruelty-free makeover.”

“This legislation truly shows the great things that can happen when government, industry, the non-profit sector and the public work together to create a better future,” he said.

“Canadian consumers can finally rest assured that the cosmetics they purchase have not come as a result of animal suffering—and that is something we can all feel good about,” said Bernard.

According to the coalition, now that Bill C-47 has passed, Canada is now the 44th country to pass laws to end or limit cosmetic animal testing and/or sales.

Sarah AndersonSarah Anderson

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