441-00854 (Animals)

The Government of Canada recognizes that Canadians are concerned about the well-being of animals and the potential harm caused by using them in research. It is for this reason that the Government is taking concrete actions to reduce the use of animals in research and testing.

The Government of Canada is also advancing a number of initiatives to promote methods that replace, reduce or refine the use of animal testing where possible. Most recently, the Government of Canada introduced amendments to the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA) in Bill S-5 that recognize the need to reduce reliance on vertebrate animal testing when assessing the risks that substances may pose on human health and the environment. These amendments will encourage federal government departments to promote the development and timely use of alternative methods and strategies, as science permits. Additionally, the Government of Canada is working to introduce legislation to amend the Food and Drugs Act to ban cosmetic testing on animals in Canada.

To ensure that decisions continue to be supported by the best available scientific evidence and to support the phase-out of animals in toxicity testing, scientists at Health Canada are working with the international scientific community to develop, validate and implement effective non-animal methods and to use state of the art technology, such as computational approaches or cultured human cells. This includes through continued leadership and contributions to work under the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and initiatives, such as Accelerating the Pace of Chemical Risk Assessment with the European Chemicals Agency and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Further, as part of Health Canada’s collaboration with the scientific community focusing on developing and implementing effective non-animal test methods, Health Canada has been working with the Canadian Centre for Alternatives to Animal Methods at the University of Windsor since the Centre was established in 2017. More recently, Health Canada is working with the Centre in the organization of the Twelfth World Congress on Alternatives and Animal Use in the Life Sciences, to be held in August 2023 in Niagara Falls, Ontario. This international scientific conference aims to harness the efforts of the scientific community to accelerate the development and validation of non-animal test methods.

The Government remains committed to replacing, reducing, or refining animal models with scientifically justified and practicable alternatives and strategies, and to supporting scientific efforts to reduce the reliance on animal experiments. The Government of Canada will continue taking steps that align with those of our international counterparts, ensuring that decisions that impact the health of Canadians and the environment remain supported by the best available science.