Animal Cruelty Legislation

Hello,

We are so happy to share with you that since our last update to you, history has been made to end animal suffering, not once but twice!  We are elated to say that in June, Bill S-5, An Act to amend the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, passed the Senate to become law, ensuring a path forward to ending toxicity testing on animals in Canada!

This monumental achievement means that fewer animals across Canada, from rabbits to mice and even dogs, will have to endure the pain and suffering associated with toxicity testing!  Humane Canada has played a key role in ensuring that this landmark bill will phase out testing toxic chemicals on animals, while also better protecting the environment and the health of Canadians.  Hundreds of thousands of animals are used in Canada each year to test the safety of different harmful substances. The new law will rapidly accelerate replacement of this painful practice with non-animal methods that are not only cruelty-free but cheaper, more efficient and more predictive of impacts on humans.

Not long after this amazing acheivement to pass Bill S-5, the Senate passed Bill C-47, which includes a ban on cosmetic animal testing and trade!  With the passing of these landmark bills, animals cannot be used in Canada to test cosmetics and  thousands of animals will be saved each year from painful testing of different harmful substances commonly used in our homes and our daily lives.

Canada joins the ranks of over 40 countries that have enacted laws banning or limiting cosmetic animal testing, and this moment includes the phasing out of toxicity testing, which is the most harmful use of animals in science.  From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for your support to end animal suffering! History has been made and these moments exemplify just how important your support and our efforts are for animal welfare. Thank you!!

Links:

• Humane Canada

Humane Canada, along with our member Humane societies and SPCAs across Canada are celebrating the 2023 Budget Bill tabled on March 28th with long awaited provisions to ban cosmetic testing on animals. Cosmetic testing is unnecessary and painful for animals, and it’s an issue we've been advocating to end for years. This is a huge win for animal welfare!

"Parliament is finally taking a stand against the needless pain and suffering associated with cosmetic testing on animals," said Barbara Cartwright, CEO of Humane Canada. "It’s been nearly a decade in the making but clearly this government is committed to getting the job done!”

Humane Canada supports this Bill which, if passed, would prohibit testing cosmetics on animals in Canada, selling cosmetics that rely on animal testing data to establish the product’s safety, with some exceptions, and false or misleading labelling pertaining to the testing of cosmetics on animals.

The first attempt to ban cosmetic testing on animals came via the Senate in 2015 with the introduction of the Cruelty-free Cosmetics Act, and while that bill died in the House of Commons in 2019, it sparked a national conversation with Canadians consistently asking the government to ban the cruel practice.

Humane Canada consulted with the Government on the development of the provisions and is proud to soon see Canada join the ranks of over 40 countries that already have laws in place that ban or limit cosmetic animal testing.  Here’s to a progressive future for the welfare of animals in Canada, free from the needless pain and suffering associated with cosmetic testing!  

In stark contrast to this exciting news, we sadly learned last month that Kiska, also known as the “loneliest Orca in the world” passed away in March.  Kiska was the last captive orca in Canada and had been at Marineland since she was captured in the North Atlantic Ocean in 1979. For the last 12 years of her life, she was held in captivity alone, in direct opposition to her social instincts and the deep family connections she would have experienced in the wild.

She suffered greatly in private ownership and miserable conditions, despite Ontario banning Orca captivity in 2015 and whale and dolphin captivity being banned at the federal level in 2019. Both of these laws grandfathered existing animals in captivity.

 In light of Kiska’s passing, we are calling for full transparency into the life and death of Kiska including the release of a full necropsy report, the steps taken by the government to respond to multiple complaints regarding Kiska’s health and welfare over the last three years and the results of a thorough investigation into Marineland to determine if they caused her any unnecessary pain and suffering or failed to provide adequate care under the Ontario Provincial Animal Welfare Act.  Please speak up for Kiska by asking the Government of Ontario for full transparency into her life and death.

Thank you for your ongoing support of Humane Canada as we continue to work toward positive, progressive change for animal welfare in Canada and advocate for those who cannot speak for themselves.  We are so grateful to our donors and supporters who help make our country a better place for animals.

Links:

• Humane Canada statement on ban of cosmetic testing on animals
• Ask for transparency into Kiska's life and death
• Humane Canada