Add long-tailed macaque to Schedule II

AI summary

Petitioners ask the Minister to investigate CITES permit legality for Cambodian long‑tailed macaques and add the species to Schedule II of the WAPTR. The government responds it found no evidence of falsified permits and rejects Canadian import permits.

AI summaries describe petitioners’ requests and claims. Consult the official record for the full text.

Official petition

Petition to the Minister of the Environment, Climate Change and Nature Long-tailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis), the most heavily traded primate for experimentation, were uplisted to “Endangered” by the IUCN in 2022, a status reaffirmed in October 2025; Cambodia is Canada’s primary source of imported long-tailed macaques; A five-year U.S. federal investigation found Cambodia’s supply chain laundered wild-caught macaques as captive-bred; Despite this and the species’ endangered status, Canada allowed the import of over 10,000 macaques from Cambodia between 2023 and 2025; Trafficking has continued, with Thai authorities uncovering ongoing smuggling of wild macaques destined for Cambodia in November 2025; Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) stated in response to e-petition e-6537 that it has “not seen evidence” of falsified Cambodian permits, yet appears to have conducted no independent verification; ECCC has authority to investigate wildlife-trade violations and verify permit authenticity; Listing the species in Schedule II of Wild Animal and Plant Trade Regulations (WAPTR) would require domestic import permits, enabling legality and traceability checks—an approach ECCC used in restricting salamander imports in 2017/2018; and Canada has a responsibility to apply the precautionary principle to avoid enabling illegal trade or contributing to the decline of an endangered species. We, the undersigned, citizens and residents of Canada call upon the Minister of the Environment, Climate Change and Nature to: 1. Launch an investigation into the legality, traceability, and authenticity of CITES permits used for the import of Cambodian long-tailed macaques into Canada under the Wild Animal and Plant Protection and Regulation of International and Interprovincial Trade Act; and 2. Add long-tailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis) to Schedule II of WAPTR to enable the Ministry to require and assess its own import permits.

Government response

Response by the Minister of the Environment, Climate Change and Nature Signed by The Honourable Julie Dabrusin Canada has been a Party to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora since its inception in 1975. Through this Convention, a total of 185 Parties worldwide work together to ensure international trade does not threaten wildlife species, including by working with range States and destination countries in efforts to address issues. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora aims to ensure that international wildlife trade is sustainable by implementing a strict system of permits. Canada upholds this system for imports, exports and re-exports, and rigorously enforces federal laws that conserve and protect wildlife to detect violations and take enforcement action. In Canada, Environment and Climate Change Canada is responsible for verifying compliance with permits from the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. Environment and Climate Change Canada have not seen evidence that export permits issued by Cambodia for the import of long-tailed macaques in Canada were falsified by claiming wild-caught monkeys were captive-bred. As per the obligations under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, export countries are expected to exercise the required due diligence. These include verifying the legal origin of the exported specimens as well as ensuring there is no detriment to the survival of the species in the wild. As noted in e-petition e-6537, the Secretariat to the Convention was asked by the Standing Committee in February 2025 to verify concerns regarding claims that the captive-bred long-tailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis) exported from Cambodia were of wild source. At the November 2025 Standing Committee meeting, the Secretariat of the Convention presented its report (Standing Committee 79 Doc. 6.3.2) on the review of Cambodia’s compliance to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. This report, prepared following a mission of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species Secretariat to Cambodia conducted from June 9 to 15, 2025, indicated the Secretariat saw no evidence of laundering of wild-caught specimens as captive bred. The Standing Committee agreed on a number of recommendations and requested Cambodia to submit a report on the implementation of those recommendations 90 days before the 81st meeting of the Standing Committee in November 2026. Canada considers that the Secretariat of the Convention conducted an independent and transparent investigation on the legality, traceability, and authenticity of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species permits used for the export from Cambodia of long-tailed macaques. Canada takes its obligations under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora very seriously and will continue to follow this discussion closely. In Canada, the Convention is implemented through the Wild Animal and Plant Protection and Regulation of International and Interprovincial Trade Act and its regulations, the Wild Animal and Plant Trade Regulations. Canada supports legal trade of species when it is founded on principles of conservation and sustainable use. As a species listed in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species Appendix II, long-tailed macaque (Macaca fascicularis) is subject to trade controls commensurate with the threat international trade poses to the survival of the species in the wild. Imports of Appendix II species are authorized only when the required Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species export permits, issued by the country of export, are provided. As indicated in Article XIVof the Convention,Parties can adopt stricter domestic measures restricting or prohibiting trade, taking, possession or transport of species included in Appendix I, II or III. Canada is satisfied that the trade in this species meets the requirements of the Convention and that imports of the species do not pose a threat to Canadian ecosystem. Imposing stricter measures on the import of long-tailed macaque by requiring Canadian import permits is not commensurate with the risk trade poses to the species or to Canadian biodiversity given the controls already in place under the Convention.

Official source