Nearly 10 months after it was passed by the Senate, a bill that would ban cosmetic animal testing in Canada started its journey through the House of Commons on Friday.

Now sponsored by Conservative MP Marilyn Gladu, Bill S-214 was tabled early this afternoon.

“Protecting animals has always been a cause that I care deeply about and I am pleased to sponsor this bill so MPs can debate this important issue,” said in a statement.

First introduced in December of 2015 by Conservative Sen. Carolyn Stewart Olsen, The Cruelty-free Cosmetics Act would prohibit cosmetics testing on animals in Canada. It would also amend the Food and Drugs Act to ban the sale of cosmetics developed or manufactured through the use of animal testing.

The legislation would establish that no evidence derived from animal testing may be used to establish the safety of a cosmetic developed in Canada or elsewhere. In October 2017, members of the Senate Standing Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology voted unanimously in favour of S-214, and last June the chamber voted in favour of sending it to the House.

[READ MORE: Bill that would ban cosmetic animal testing clears the Senate]

Despite the strong support on the Senate side, Gladu told iPolitics moving it along in the House has been more complicated than she expected.

Stakeholders, including animal advocates and the cosmetic industry, as well as the Liberal government, all wanted to see tweaks to the proposed legislation, partly to bring it in line with the European Union before it was tabled, to ensure there were no trade issues through the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA).

She said she’s “totally” disappointed it has taken so much time “to get everyone on the same page.”

Once that agreement was reached, she had expected to table it the week of March 18, but that did not happen.

[READ MORE: Cosmetic animal testing bill to land in House after break]

Gladu said she was supposed to be on her caucus approval list that week, but due to the budget being tabled and the Tories triggering a marathon voting session in the House to drive home concerns around the government’s handling of the SNC-Lavalin affair, she “got kicked off the agenda.”

She’s also been traveling with the House health committee as part of its study of methamphetamine abuse.

“It wouldn’t have mattered if we were here anyway, as the government keeps moving to orders of the day.”

That prevents bills like hers from being tabled.

With the end of session fast approaching and an election call coming, there’s not a lot of time left for the bill to work its way through the House.

“It’s a concern,” Gladu said. “I don’t think there’s going to be enough time. But we’ve got agreement among the stakeholders and the parties on what (the bill) should look like … so there’s still some potential there.”

If passed, the bill would make Canada the world’s 40th country to prohibit cosmetic testing on animals. The European Union, India, New Zealand, Taiwan, South Korea, Guatemala, and most recently Australia, are among the jurisdictions that have already banned the practice. Similar legislation is in development in the United States, Brazil, Chile, South Africa and Sri Lanka.

Proponents of the legislation say given the wide range of established cosmetic ingredients and animal-free approaches to testing product safety, there’s no need to continue to rely on testing that causes animals to suffer.

Stewart Olsen has called it “a backward practice that has no place in Canada,” and is pleased to see her bill moving along.

“I fully understand the length of time it takes to get a private member’s bill passed,” she said. “It can be very frustrating for the sponsor of the bill, but it is our system. I am very hopeful that the bill will proceed through the stages and pass. So many people have supported this bill and I would hate to see them disappointed.”

That sentiment was echoed by Humane Society International/Canada deputy director Michael Bernard. The group has long been a proponent of the bill and worked with key cosmetic industry players to bring them on board.

“A lot of work has gone into this bill by all the stakeholders involved, including animal protection and industry groups,” he said. “We’ve arrived at a place where we’re all pretty happy. Considering what’s gone into it, we’re hoping the will is there. If it is there to move it through, the government can move a bill through quite quickly.”

[READ MORE: Largest petition in nearly 70 years calls for ban on animal cosmetic testing]

Bernard also pointed to the public support behind this bill. Last year, the largest petition in nearly 70 years landed on Parliament Hill’s doorstep. At the time, it contained the signatures of 630,542 Canadians from across the country calling for an end to cosmetic testing on animals.

“Animals aren’t partisan, so we’re calling on all parties to work on this together to get it past the post in time,” he said.

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