Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC)

The CCAC is the national peer review agency responsible for setting and maintaining standards for the care and use of animals used in research, teaching and testing throughout Canada. The CCAC was established in 1968. It is an autonomous and independent body, and also oversees the ethical use of animals in science in Canada.

Its mission statement underlines the focus of the CCAC on the ethical principles of animal-based experimentation. The purpose of the Canadian Council on Animal Care is to act in the interests of the people of Canada to ensure through programs of education, assessment and persuation that the use of animals, where necessary, for research, teaching and testing employs optimal physical and psychological care according to acceptable scientific standards, and to promote an increased level of knowledge, awareness and sensitivity to relevant ethical principles.

The CCAC is registered as a non-profit organization, and is financed primarily by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), with additional contributions from federal science‑based departments and agencies and private institutions participating in its programs.