The Department of the Environment and Department of Health published in the November 5, 2016 edition of Canada Gazette Part I, Microbeads in Toiletries Regulations, pursuant to the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999.

The regulations, if approved, will prohibit the manufacture and import of exfoliating or cleansing non-prescription drugs and natural health products such as toothpaste that contains plastic microbeads, on July 1, 2018, with a prohibition on the sale or offer for sale of these products by July 1, 2019.

On March 24, 2015, the House of Commons voted unanimously for the Government to take immediate measures to add plastic microbeads to CEPA1999 Schedule 1 List of Toxic Substances "Plastic microbeads that are = 5 mm in size" were subsequently added to the List on August 1, 2015.

The scientific literature indicates that microplastics are readily taken up by a variety of non-human organisms and have shown adverse short-term and long-term effects in aquatic organisms such as marine mammals, fish, invertebrates and fish-eating birds.