Talcum Powder Lawsuit in Canada: Three Certified Class Actions

A talcum powder lawsuit in Canada is now proceeding as three certified class actions against Johnson & Johnson: a Canada-wide action in Ontario certified on March 4, 2026, a British Columbia action covering most of the rest of Canada certified in October 2024, and a Quebec proceeding authorized in 2018. No Canadian talc case has yet gone to trial or produced a settlement.

Status of the Three Certified Class Actions

Ontario: Strathdee v. Johnson & Johnson

The Ontario action was filed on May 18, 2016 and prosecuted by Rochon Genova and Howie, Sacks & Henry, with McKenzie Lake also involved.¹² On June 25, 2025, Justice Leiper found four of the five certification criteria under the Class Proceedings Act, 1992 satisfied, adjourning only the preferability question while Johnson & Johnson’s appeal of the B.C. certification remained pending. After the company abandoned that appeal, Justice Leiper certified the action on March 4, 2026 and dismissed the defendants’ motion to stay the Ontario proceeding.³⁴

The case now moves into discovery, expert evidence, and eventually a common issues trial.⁵

British Columbia: Ennis v. Johnson & Johnson

An initial certification bid was refused in November 2020 because the class had been defined too broadly. The plaintiff narrowed the claim to focus on epithelial ovarian cancer, and the B.C. Supreme Court certified the revised action in October 2024. Johnson & Johnson later abandoned its appeal.⁶³

Quebec

On May 2, 2018, Justice André Prévost of the Quebec Superior Court authorized a class action against Johnson & Johnson and Valeant (maker of Shower to Shower) on behalf of Quebec residents who used talc-based products in the genital area and were later diagnosed with ovarian cancer. The lead plaintiff, Rosemary Kramar, alleged she developed ovarian cancer in 2012 after using talc-based products from 1962 to 2013.⁷

Who Is Included in the Class

The three proceedings have different boundaries, and which one applies to you depends on where you live and what you were diagnosed with.

The Ontario class is the broadest. It includes all persons resident in Canada who purchased or used Johnson’s Baby Powder containing talc for female perineal use, together with their estates, administrators, legal representatives, heirs, and beneficiaries. Two sub-classes sit inside it: the EOC Class (members who developed epithelial ovarian cancer after perineal use) and the Family Class (persons entitled to derivative claims under Ontario’s Family Law Act and comparable provincial and territorial legislation).¹ The Ontario action covers all subtypes of epithelial ovarian cancer, imposes no minimum duration of use, includes Quebec residents, and encompasses claims under the federal Competition Act. It also allows participation by women who used the powder but have not been diagnosed with ovarian cancer.³

The B.C. class covers Canadian residents outside Quebec who used talc powder and later developed epithelial ovarian cancer, but it excludes the invasive mucinous and clear cell subtypes and requires at least ten years of daily perineal use.³ The Quebec proceeding covers Quebec residents diagnosed with ovarian cancer after using talc-based products in the genital area.⁷

What the Lawsuits Allege

The plaintiffs allege that Johnson & Johnson sold talc-based Baby Powder for decades without adequately warning consumers that perineal use could increase the risk of epithelial ovarian cancer. The claims include causes of action under the Competition Act and provincial consumer protection legislation, alleging false and misleading representations about the product’s safety.² No court has ruled on the merits, and Johnson & Johnson denies all allegations.⁴

How to Join and What a Claim Might Be Worth

Several firms are accepting inquiries from potential Canadian claimants. Siskinds LLP represents individuals diagnosed with epithelial ovarian cancer, fallopian tube cancer, primary peritoneal cancer, or mesothelioma following regular perineal use of talc-based products, and can be reached at talc@siskinds.com or 1-866-428-0094.⁸ Rochon Genova and Howie, Sacks & Henry, representing the Ontario class, can be reached through Jon Sloan at 416-363-1867 or jsloan@rochongenova.com.⁹

None of the firms publish specific filing deadlines, but limitation periods apply and earlier contact is generally advised. On value, no Canadian case has produced a settlement or judgment, so there is no Canadian payout figure. Estimates drawn from U.S. talc litigation project individual awards between $100,000 and $1,000,000, with an average estimate around $500,000, but Canadian outcomes may not follow the American pattern.¹⁰

Why the Canadian Cases Took So Long

In October 2021, Johnson & Johnson transferred its talc liabilities to a newly created subsidiary, LTL Management, which immediately filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the United States. That filing triggered automatic stays that paused talc litigation across North America, including in Canada.¹¹

On January 30, 2023, the U.S. Third Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously dismissed the LTL petition, finding the subsidiary was not in legitimate financial distress.¹¹¹²¹³ The end of the U.S. stays cleared the path for the B.C. certification in October 2024 and the Ontario certification the following year.

Health Canada’s Position on Talc

In 2021, Health Canada published a final screening assessment concluding that inhaling loose talc powders and using certain talc-containing products in the female genital area may be harmful to human health.¹⁴ The assessment addressed cosmetic- and pharmaceutical-grade talc and set aside the separate question of asbestos contamination.¹⁵

Health Canada has proposed adding talc to the government’s list of toxic substances under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act and restricting its use in cosmetics, natural health products, and non-prescription drugs that are inhaled or used in the female genital area. As of April 2025, those proposals had not been finalized.¹⁶ In the meantime, Health Canada updated its Cosmetic Ingredient Hotlist to state that talc is not permitted in products intended solely for use in the genital area of those who have ovaries, and to require a cautionary statement on products that could contact the genital area.¹⁷

The Product Is No Longer Sold in Canada

On May 19, 2020, Johnson & Johnson announced it would permanently discontinue talc-based Johnson’s Baby Powder in the United States and Canada, with existing inventory selling through until depleted. The cornstarch-based version remained available.¹⁸¹⁹ In August 2022, the company announced a worldwide transition to an all-cornstarch baby powder portfolio.²⁰ The discontinuation does not affect eligibility to join the class actions, which cover past purchase and use.

1
McKenzie Lake. Talcum Powder
2
Newswire. Canada-Wide Talcum Powder Class Action Certified Against Johnson & Johnson
3
Howie, Sacks & Henry. Strathdee v. Johnson & Johnson Inc., 2026 ONSC 1186
4
Finance Yahoo. Canada-Wide Talcum Powder Class Action Certified Against Johnson & Johnson
5
Howie, Sacks & Henry. Talcum Powder and Ovarian Cancer
6
Drug and Device Law Blog. Talc Woes Continue to Grow in Canada
7
CBC News. Court Talc Powder Cancer
8
Siskinds LLP. Talcum
9
Rochon Genova. Talc Powder Class Action
10
Drugwatch. Talcum Powder Settlements
11
Siskinds LLP. Johnson & Johnson’s Bankruptcy Strategy for Talcum Powder Cancer Lawsuits Rejected by US Court
12
New York Times. Johnson & Johnson Bankruptcy Talc
13
Bailey Glasser. In Re Red River Talc LLC Memorandum Decision and Order
14
Asbestos.com. Canada Talc Restrictions
15
Government of Canada. Draft Screening Assessment – Talc
16
Government of Canada. Talc
17
Women’s Healthy Environments. Update New Talc Restrictions
18
Johnson & Johnson. Johnson & Johnson Consumer Health Announces Discontinuation of Talc-Based Johnson’s Baby Powder in U.S. and Canada
19
The Guardian. Johnson & Johnson Baby Powder US Canada
20
BBC News. Johnson & Johnson Baby Powder