The University Health Network clarified that they do not conduct studies on dogs or cats and reaffirmed their commitment to ethical research practices.

Animal welfare advocate Charu Chandrasekera welcomed Ford's stance, highlighting the lack of federal legislation in Canada to protect animals used in scientific research.

Ford directed his team to actively seek out and stop ongoing research on dogs or cats, emphasizing the importance of humane treatment.

Researchers and ethics experts have raised concerns that political interference, especially threats from Ford, undermine established ethical oversight and could bypass independent review boards.

Experts argue that such political statements overstep the roles of oversight bodies responsible for humane animal research and that meddling can erode public trust in science.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford has strongly opposed the use of dogs and cats in medical research, vowing to introduce legislation to ban such practices after a report revealed controversial experiments involving dogs at London's St. Joseph's Hospital.

Following revelations of experiments on beagles at a London hospital, Ford declared he would pursue actions against scientists conducting medical tests on dogs and cats, emphasizing the need for humane treatment.

The controversy was ignited by a report showing dogs undergoing induced heart attacks before euthanasia, which led St. Joseph's Health Care London to cease all dog research amid public outcry.

The heart tests involved inducing heart attacks in dogs for organ study, and were approved by the Lawson Research Institute and St. Joseph's Health Care London.

Ford publicly threatened researchers involved in animal testing, stating he would 'hunt down' anyone doing research on dogs or cats and urged them to stop before he intervened.

In a Windsor news conference, Ford expressed outrage over the experiments, calling them unacceptable and promising to introduce legislation to ban such practices.

There is concern that political interference in scientific research damages credibility and discourages research on potentially beneficial topics, both in Canada and the U.S.