Further to our May 28 Member Update, Bill S-214 (The Cruelty-Free Cosmetics Act), passed 3rd reading late last evening (June 19, 2018). The vote on the bill came late in the evening just hours after several Members of Parliament joined together to call on Senators to push through three animal protection bills, including Bill S-214, Bill S-203 (Ending the Captivity of Whales and Dolphins Act) and Bill S-238 (Ban on Shark Fin Importation Act), before the summer recess.
Animal Alliance Canada and Humane Society International was also busy these past weeks tabling a petition of names supporting the bill and releasing an alarming video as part of their #BeCrueltyFree Campaign.
Canada’s Cruelty-Free Cosmetics Act was first introduced to the Senate in June 2015. The original bill died on the order paper with the dissolution of the 41st Parliament, but it was re-introduced in December 2015 as Bill S-214. While CA’s efforts have helped to keep the bill under debate within the Senate up until now, we anticipated the possibility of the bill eventually passing 3rd reading and moving to the House of Commons. The bill as currently worded continues to raise many legal and policy issues and doesn’t fit with the new Self-Care Products Framework. Importantly, the bill will still have to be examined in a similar three-reading process in the House, so needless to say, this is a lengthy process with further opportunity for MP’s to amend the bill, defeat the bill, or introduce a new bill that works for all stakeholders including industry and Health Canada.
If you have any questions, please contact Susan Nieuwhof (snieuwhof@cosmeticsalliance.ca).
