It’s time for Canada to #BeCrueltyFree, says 30 second advocacy ad
Unprecedented move by world’s 2nd largest beauty brand confirms the urgent need to pass the Cruelty-Free Cosmetics Act.
Toronto, October 15, 2018: The announcement last week by the personal care giant Unilever about its support to ban animal testing for cosmetics across the globe within five years, immediately highlighted the urgent need for Parliament to pass Bill S-214, the Cruelty-Free Cosmetics Act.
Bill S-214 prohibits both domestic cosmetic animal testing as well as the sale of cosmetics that have undergone any form of new animal testing after the ban comes into effect, consistent with the precedent established in the European Union.
“It is now before Parliament and is slated for First Reading,” said Liz White, Director, Animal Alliance of Canada. “With the next federal election on the horizon, the Bill must pass within a short nine month period to become law. So time is of the essence.”
“For two weeks, we ran a 30 second advocacy ad on CBC Newsworld urging Canadians to seek support for the Bill from their Members of Parliament,” continued White. “Now we are promoting the ad through YouTube and Facebook. Nine months is lightening speed to pass federal legislation so we are seeking help from caring Canadians to make sure this Bill becomes law. Unilever’s announcement is an extremely important development in highlighting the need for Parliament to pass this bill. We urge Marilyn Gladu, Health Critic for the Conservative Party of Canada, the person who has carriage of this important piece of legislation to make this a legislative priority and ensure its passage as quickly as possible.”
“So far 37 countries worldwide have enacted legislation to fully or partially ban animal testing for cosmetics,” said Aviva Vetter, Campaign Manager, Humane Society International. “These include the European Union, India, Taiwan, Guatemala, New Zealand, South Korea, and seven states in Brazil. Our polling shows that 88% of Canadians oppose cosmetic animal testing and 81% support an outright ban. The Senate voted unanimously in favour of the Bill. Therefore, S-214 should be easy for Parliament to pass given the Senate’s unanimous support and given that many other countries have already led the way. We urge Canada to join with all the other countries to end the cruelty.”
Facts:
• Animal tests carried out in the cosmetics sector include: eye and skin irritation experiments, in which a cosmetic product or ingredient is rubbed onto the shaved skin or dripped into the eyes of rabbits; skin allergy tests using guinea pigs or mice; and force-feeding studies that last weeks or months. These tests inflict considerable pain and distress, which can include blindness, swollen eyes, sore bleeding skin, internal bleeding, organ damage, convulsions and death. Pain relief is seldom if ever provided, and at the end of a test the animals are killed, normally by asphyxiation, neck-breaking or decapitation.
• Canada’s Food and Drugs Act requires that all cosmetic and other personal care products sold in Canada be safe when used as intended, but does not specifically require animal testing to substantiate safety.
• Europe remains the largest cosmetics market in the world with a full cosmetic animal testing ban which has been in place since 2013.
For more information and to view the 30 second Animal Alliance advocacy ad visit endthecruelty.ca
