The Canadian national bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) surveillance program began in 1992. The program was one part of the requirements to maintain Canada's negligible BSE risk status, recognized by the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) in 2021. This year, the program was updated to align with WOAH's revised surveillance standards.

One change to the program is the online questionnaire, where bovine veterinarians, cattle producers and staff at the necropsy rooms and abattoirs can verify if a bovine is a BSE surveillance candidate.