Federal government adopts new strategy to reduce animal testing

The federal government has launched a new strategy to reduce the number of animals used in regulatory laboratory testing across Canada — a strategy that some experts estimate could result in thousands fewer animals each year being subjected to painful or toxic tests.

The strategy, published online in mid-July, calls for the government to identify and promote the use of scientifically viable alternatives to chemical testing under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act on vertebrate animals such as cats, dogs, mice and rabbits.

However, it wouldn't affect the use of animals for testing other things like drugs, medical products and food products.

The move comes nearly two years after the federal government ended the use of animals for testing cosmetic products.

Amy Clippinger, a managing director for the animal rights organization People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), said the strategy could make a difference — even if chemicals and pesticides make up a small proportion of the regulatory testing that uses animals.

"It could be thousands of animals. There are a lot of animals used in regulatory testing," Clippinger said.

However, experts like Clippinger also say the level of resources and priority the government devotes to the strategy will determine its impact.

The move flows from Bill S-5 adopted in June 2023, which made a series of amendments to the Canadian Environmental Protection Act. The strategy was the focus of a lengthy consultation in recent years.

Publication of the strategy predates a report by the Investigative Journalism Bureau (IJB) published on Aug. 7, which detailed gruesome experiments conducted on puppies at an Ontario hospital as part of its heart research. The IJB's revelations about the experiments prompted Ontario Premier Doug Ford to ban testing on dogs and cats in the province, calling it "cruel" and "unacceptable."

WATCH | Ford speaks out about animal testing:

Ontario Premier Doug Ford says future legislation will ban testing on pets such as cats and dogs. Ford was speaking on Monday at a news conference in London, Ont.

According to the Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC), which oversees the use and care of animals for testing and research, an estimated 3.1 million animals were used for scientific purposes across Canada in 2023.

CCAC executive director Pierre Verreault says dogs and cats account for a small share of the animals used. The CCAC estimated 16,000 dogs represented 0.5 per cent of animals used in 2023. Half of the dogs were used in regulatory testing, 25 per cent in teaching and 25 per cent in research.

Cats accounted for 0.1 per cent of animals used.

Verreault said 36 per cent were mice and 32 per cent were fish. Cattle accounted for another 17.5 per cent.

He said the government's new policy goes to the heart of the 3R's of animal testing: refinement, reduction and replacement.

Verreault said there are alternatives to animal testing for regulatory approvals but they have to be balanced against things like the government's need to ensure public safety and preserving the environment.

"It could be computer modelling. It could also be using tissues and cells from an organism, but not the total animal," he said of possible alternatives. "Any movement in that direction is a good one."

Avoiding animal testing isn't always possible.

Chloé Dupuis, senior media relations adviser for the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) — one of the federal government organizations that has purchased animals over the years — said the NRC's protocol dictates that animals are only used in scientific procedures when there is no other alternative.

She said that despite major technological advances, "animal models still remain the standard for generating efficacy and safety data sets" when a product is being considered for regulatory approval.

Sabrina Ramkellawan, president of the Clinical Research Association of Canada, says new drugs and health products often require animal testing before they get to her for clinical trials in humans.

If Canada wants to reduce or eliminate animal testing, it should harmonize efforts with other countries, she said.

"If we make this change in Canada, animal testing is going to happen — it's just going to happen elsewhere," she said.

University of Toronto law professor Angela Fernandez welcomes the new strategy.

"The kinds of tests we're talking about are forcing the ingestion of chemicals," she said. "It could be through food digestion, it could be an injection, it could be exposure, inhalation. So, these are really very cruel tests."

Fernandez says the strategy will encourage the development of alternatives, while noting it has no mention funding for such projects.

Clippinger also questions whether the federal government will devote the funding and staff time necessary for the strategy to be successful.

"Otherwise, it's just another document online that doesn't result in real change," she said.

Joshua Coke, spokesperson for Health Canada, said the money to implement the strategy will come out of existing budgets. Coke said the department is also planning a number of initiatives to reduce the use of animals in regulatory testing.

"Reducing reliance on animal testing and promoting methods that replace, reduce or refine the use of animals in testing remains a priority for the government, and efforts will continue on a number of fronts to advance this important work," he said.