Humane Canada: Animal Welfare Elevated Since 1957

Humane Canada works diligently to earn our solid reputation as the national voice for animal welfare in Canada. Below are a few of the highlights of our achievements since our organization was founded on August 7, 1957.

1957:  Founding of Humane Canada

1960:  Creation of Humane Slaughter Act

1968:  Founding of Canadian Council on Animal Care

1970:  Passing of Animal Transport Act

1980s: Founding of Canada’s Codes of Practice for Farm Animals

1994:  Regulations on import of puppies from the US

1995:  Founded National Companion Animal Coalition

1995:  Began harmonizing pet microchipping systems across Canada

1998:  Report to Parliament on amending the Criminal Code

2005:  Founding of National Farm Animal Care Council

2007:  Revisions to animal cruelty provisions in Criminal Code

2012:  First-ever national report on cat welfare in Canada

2013:  Creation of Canadian Standards of Care for Shelter Animals

2014:  Creation of the National Animal Welfare Conference

2015:  Secured greater protections for police, military & service animals in Canada via Quanto’s Law

2015:  Founding of National Centre for the Prosecution of Animal Cruelty (NCPAC)

2016:  First-ever national report on SPCAs and humane societies in Canada

2016:  Launch of Canada’s only bilingual animal cruelty case law database

2017:  National ban of battery cages & introduction of cage-free standards for hens

2019:  Bill C-84 modernized. The legal term ‘bestiality: now refers to all sexual abuse of animals, not just the act of penetration. Bill C-84 signals Canada’s new priority on fighting animal crimes. 

2019: Canada’s Free Willy Law, Bill C-203, bans the captivity of whales and dolphins. In addition, this important bill also bans breeding of captive whales and dolphins.

2020: Launched the “Measuring Progress Toward a Humane Canada” indicators report.

2022: Bill S-5 passes in the Senate and is an act to amend the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, phasing out chemical testing on animals.

2023: On June 22, Bill C-47 passed the Senate to become law, which includes a ban on cosmetic animal testing and trade! Earlier this same month, Bill S-5 became law, which phases out toxic chemical testing on animals.