Further to our previous update regarding the newly formed Health Canada/Industry Working Group sanctioned by Minister Duclos and its inaugural June 26 meeting, the group met again on August 22 to discuss the details of a workable solution to China’s requirement for a “government issued” GMP certificate to allow for the exemption from China’s animal testing requirements for imported cosmetics.
It is estimated that over $350 million of cosmetics manufactured in Canada are exported to China annually. Exporters are currently relying on the “GMP certificates” being temporarily issued by provincial governments in Quebec and Ontario, but a permanent federal solution is required.
The working group is being chaired by Director-General Dennis Price of Health Canada and CA President Darren Praznik. Members include relevant Health Canada officials, technical experts from several of our CA member manufacturers and CA staff, as well as representatives from Global Affairs Canada and the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters.
On August 22, the group discussed the risks identified by Health Canada in its issuing of such certificates and how they could be addressed or minimized. Industry presented data regarding the scope of the issue (cost, percentage of total exports, # of site affected, and so on) and explained the tangible implications for Canadian manufacturers with not finding a solution to enable cosmetics exports. The group also shared their collective understanding of approaches in foreign jurisdictions that could potentially be re-applied in the Canadian regulatory context and identified the remaining data/information gaps to fill in advance of the next meeting.
All in all, CA is highly encouraged that we are progressing towards a solution for cosmetic exporters. The next meeting is expected to be held later in September. CA will continue to keep members updated.
