Grant: Canadian Council on Animal Care

The role of the Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC) is to provide the Canadian public with an integrated program to enhance the welfare of animals in science. This program challenges if the use of animals in science is absolutely necessary, and if the benefits warrant it, we require that all harm and distress are minimized. We do this by developing science-based and ethical reference standards, and then certifying that these standards are being met. All of this is done by working with a wide range of experts and public representatives. Although in the past the CCAC program has been funded by federal agencies, they are now restricting their funding to standards development. As a result, the CCAC must find funding for assessment, certification, training and education, from other sources. This proposal requests funding for a three year transition period to determine and implement an acceptable and sustainable business plan, arrived at through comprehensive stakeholder consultations.