Canada ‘developing proposal’ to ban cosmetic animal testing – the full timeline

Canada is ‘developing a proposal’ that would ban cosmetic animal testing, following years of pressure from animal-rights advocates.

Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos is reportedly poised to make changes to the federal Food and Drugs Act which would prohibit the sale of cosmetics that have been tested on animals.

This would also include cosmetics containing ingredients that have been tested on animals – covering products such as make-up, perfume, shaving foam and nail polish.

‘Embarrassing’

According to The Globe and Mail, Health Canada said:“ The Department is developing a proposal to ban cosmetic testing on animals and continues to support the development and use of alternative methods to animal testing for other products or uses.”

However, animal-rights activists have branded Canada’s progress on banning cosmetic animal testing as ’embarrassing’, highlighting how more than 40 countries have already ended the cruel practice.

Canada to ban animal testing?

In 2015, the Cruelty-Free Cosmetics Act aimed to amend the Food and Drugs Act to prohibit cosmetic animal testing and the sale of cosmetics developed or manufactured using animal testing.

The bill was moved through committee with full support in 2017 and got passed by the Senate in 2018.

However,  it was only able to get passed first reading in the House of Commons before the legislature session ended in 2019.

Cosmetics Alliance of Canada’s President Darren Praznik attributed the delay to the covid-19 pandemic, but says it is time the government ‘finally got this done’.

Health Canada said that a wide consultation would need to precede the two sets of proposed regulatory changes this year, confirming that no changes are expected to be finalised before August this year.

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