A national surveillance program was undertaken in Canada to establish the prevalence and distribution of Salmonella and thermophilic Campylobacter biotypes in slaughter animals and poultry. During the years 1983 to 1986, samples were collected from federally inspected abbatoirs across Canada and tested at regional laboratories. The laboratory isolation procedure for thermophilic Campylobacter included selective enrichment and isolates were characterized according to Lior's biotyping scheme. Salmonella were isolated from 17.5% pork, 2.6% beef and 4.1% veal carcasses. Thermophilic Campylobacter were isolated from 16.9% pork, 22.6% beef and 43.1% veal carcasses. Salmonella were isolated from 69.1 % turkey and 60.9% chicken carcasses, and thermophilic Campylobacter were isolated from 73.7% and 38.2% turkey and chicken carcasses, respectively. Salmonella typhimurium was the most frequently isolated serotype, and predominant in broiler chickens from 1983 to 1985. Salmonella brandenburg was predominant in pork, and Salmonella schwarzengrund was the primary serotype from turkey carcasses. Campylobacter jejuni biotypes I and II were the most frequently isolated biotypes from beef, veal and poultry. Although Campylobacter coli biotype I was the predominant thermophilic Campylobacter in pork, 41.1% of the biotyped isolates from pork were C. jejuni biotypes I and II.