Founded in 1990, Animal Alliance of Canada is a national organization specializing in legislative and policy advocacy for the protection of animals. For over 30 years, our work has spanned multiple species and jurisdictions, combining evidence-based research, stakeholder collaboration, and direct engagement with all levels of government to advance humane, effective, and accountable animal protection policy.
Animal Alliance is a founding member of the Coalition for Consumer Information on Cosmetics (CCIC), which promotes the comprehensive standard for cruelty-free product designation and provides the internationally recognized Leaping Bunny certification.
In 1999, Animal Alliance formed Environment Voters, a political and electoral arm that participated in over 50 campaigns at municipal, provincial, and federal levels. This evolution led to the creation of the Animal Alliance Environment Voters Party of Canada in 2005— North America’s first federal political party dedicated to the protection of all animals and the environment —now known as the Animal Protection Party of Canada.
Below is a brief summary of just some of our significant victories for the animals.
Our Impact
Animals in Research
Our efforts to protect animals from harmful research date back to 1990, when we began rescuing dogs and cats from Ontario pounds and shelters who were regularly requisitioned by research facilities.
We worked with municipalities to prevent the euthanasia of lost and abandoned pets and to end the sale of cats and dogs to researchers—efforts led by the City of Oshawa, which was the first municipality in Ontario, to end this practice in 1991. Animal Alliance went on to improve animal services programmes in municipalities across Ontario, Quebec, Alberta, Newfoundland, and Manitoba.
Our hands-on rescue work included 52 purpose-bred beagles from the University of Guelph in 2002. In 2010, we convinced the University of Guelph to end terminal surgeries on healthy dogs, saving approximately 200 dogs annually.
Banning Cosmetic Animal Testing
In 2023, working alongside coalition partners, we helped secure a Canada-wide ban on cosmetic animal testing and the sale of animal-tested cosmetics.
Our efforts to ban cosmetic testing on animals began in the 1990s, when Bob Rae was Ontario’s premier. We came close to success, but at the last minute, the government backed down. In response, we shifted our focus to other critical initiatives, including work with the Coalition for Consumer Information on Cosmetics (CCIC) and the International Council on Animal Protection in OECD Programmes (ICAPO), where we advocated for the replacement, reduction, and refinement of animal testing within OECD chemical testing guidelines.
By 2010, it was time to renew our focus on securing a national ban on cosmetic animal testing in Canada.
Below is a brief legislative history of the ban.
This success marked a historic step toward a broader discussion about reducing and, ultimately eliminating, the use of animals in harmful research, teaching, and testing.
Farmed Animal Welfare
For 10 years, Animal Alliance reviewed thousands of “downer” reports, animals who are non-ambulatory for numerous reasons. In 2005, we finally won a national ban on the transport of downer farmed animals.
We were also part of a coalition of organizations responsible for convincing the federal government to ban the use of rBGH, a bovine growth hormone, in dairy cows. The ban remains in place today.
Wildlife Protection
Protecting Canada Geese
In 2007, we won a landmark victory when the City of Kelowna was denied a permit to cull 200 Canada geese, setting a precedent that has helped prevent mass culls across the country for over 15 years.
Ending Bear Spearing
We were instrumental in banning bear spearing as a hunting method in both Saskatchewan and Ontario, and in shutting down most of the legal trade in bear parts across Canada.
Trapping and Hunting
As a result of several tragic incidents, we have worked to implement hunting and trapping bans in several municipalities in Ontario and Alberta where the incidents occurred. In 2009 the City of Guelph, Ontario, passed a model by-law which largely bans leghold and conibear traps.
Ongoing Work
We continue to work to secure protections for animals on multiple fronts, including challenging Ontario’s ag-gag legislation, ensuring a total prohibition on the use of dogs and cats in research in Ontario, advocating for the safety and protection of Manitoba’s black bears, defending cormorants, and advocating for stronger protections for wildlife across Canada.