are Canadians allowed to carry pepper spray?

Is pepperspray legal in Canada?

I thought I had read that Canadians could carry such spray as long as it was clearly labeled for animal defense. Even if it was the same thing as human spray.
IANAL.

Ask your local cop.

I recall being asked when crossing the border from US into Canada whether I had any Mace or not. I have heard that some folks have had their pepper spray confiscated by Canada Customs when entering Canada We have a large Bear Spray can that we keep at our cottage in Northern Ontario for bears, but I think it may work on the two legged kind as well.

According to this http://www.cfc-cafc.gc.ca/faq/import_e.asp#g6

Mace and other similar products are prohibited by Criminal Code Regulations (in Canada). Similar products designed for protection from wild animals are permitted.

Hey,

Below is a section I copied from the Canadian Firearms Centre factsheet on Importing/Exporting Firearms.

Q. Is pepper spray allowed in Canada?

Criminal Code Regulations prohibit Mace and similar products designed to injure, immobilize or incapacitate a person. Bear sprays and similarly devices clearly designed for protection from wild animals are allowed.

The complete fact sheet can be found here

Mike

You've got to love Canada's reasoning behind its laws. A human being certainly would not harbor any ill-intent toward a man or woman, therefor, there is no need for a relatively passive self-defense weapon. Right on my northern bretheren!

Lord help us......

One must remember, not all states are created equally. Correspondingly, there are large differences in local laws and court decisions. You are comparing local precedent to a federal law.

I'm betting you probably could get sued for that in Canada.

Back to the original post ...

You can buy bear spray at most outdoors retailers in Canada. IIRC you have to fill in a form. It's regulated under the Pesticides Act.

Carrying it in an urban area is pretty dicey, since you don't really have a valid reason to have it with you. If you're nightclubbing, forget it. If it's in your car and you're returning from the wilds, no problem. I believe the police will make a judgement call based on the context.

If you use it against a human being you will have a lot of explaining to do.

If you use it as a weapon, you will be charged accordingly under the Criminal Code.