Canadian Member of Parliament Marilyn Gladu has been recognized as our Parliamentarian of the Month for June 2019. Conservative MP Marilyn Gladu receives her award for her work in putting an end to cruel and unnecessary cosmetics testing on animals in Canada by bringing the Canada Cruelty Free Cosmetics Act into the House of Commons earlier this year.

On Monday she presented the bill in a second reading and debate in the House of Commons where it was confirmed that all three major political parties (Liberal, Conservative and NDP) are now publicly in support of a ban on cosmetic animal testing. Bill S 214 will still face several hurdles before becoming law but this news is another milestone in our campaign to end the testing and sale of animal tested cosmetics in Canada.

Along with The Body Shop Canada we have stepped up lobbying efforts over the past year and took on the complex task of working with multiple stakeholders as well as, MP Gladu, and the Minister of Health's Office, in hopes of making Canada cruelty free. In her presentation on the bill during the second reading MP Glaud noted that she was inspired to sponsor the bill after receiving petitions from her local Body Shop collected during our joint #ForeverAgainstTesting Campaign.

“They had stacks of petitions from people calling for us to support this legislation. I then found out that The Body Shops across the country were doing similar things. We have had hundreds of thousands of people sign petitions to show their support for the bill.” said Glaudu.

MP Glaudu noted: “I have received emails, letters, petitions from every part of the country. There is an appetite to follow it along. Currently I believe there are 38 other countries that have now agreed to this ban. Canada would then become the 39th, if we can get this done, and it is well worth doing.”

Our North American Campaign Manager Monica Engebretson said: “Ending animal testing for cosmetics in Canada would bring the country in line with more than 30 countries around the world as well as our recent progress in the US at the state-level. We applaud MP Marilyn Gladu sponsoring S 214 in the House and for her tireless leadership.”

If you live in Canada you can help by continuing to let your Members of Parliament know that ending animal testing for cosmetics is important to you – your voice makes a difference.