In fantastic news, the Canadian legislature passed two bills that will phase out cruel experiments on animals for cosmetics and toxicity testing.
The first critical bill, Bill S-5, phases out cruel toxicity tests in which animals are forced to eat or are otherwise exposed to harmful chemicals, typically over months until they die.
The bill requires the Canadian government and research labs to support and start using cruelty-free alternatives. The bill also tasks the Ministers of Environment and Health to publish a plan within the next two years that promotes animal-free toxicity tests and to report annually on progress.
Additionally, Bill C-47 passed, which makes it illegal for businesses to sell cosmetics that relied on new animal testing data during production. The bill also prohibits false or misleading labeling regarding the testing of cosmetics on animals.
Upon the bill’s passage, Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos issued an official statement that “testing cosmetics on animals is both cruel and unnecessary.”
“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,” he said. “We will continue to take all necessary measures to improve animal welfare.”
Thank you to the more than 36,000 people who signed our petition advocating for this compassionate change!
Canada now joins the European Union, India, South Korea, Taiwan, and more than 40 countries that have banned or restricted cruel cosmetic tests.
Sadly, in the United States, only 10 states have these commonsense bans in place. And there are cruel and needless tests happening on animals every year.
If you haven’t already, please sign our petition urging the University of Minnesota to never again resume cruel and botched experiments on defenseless kittens!
Sign: Pass the Humane Cosmetics Act to Stop Cruel Animal Testing
