March 22, 2002

The Government this week introduced in the House of Commons a bill to enact a new Pest Control Products Act (PCPA).

The bill will safeguard Canadians, especially children, from pesticides and will help ensure a safe and abundant food supply. It takes into consideration the views of all parties, while recognizing that the protection of human health and the environment continue to be the top priority in regulating pesticides in Canada.

The new pesticide legislation ensures that Canadians will have access to more information and new opportunities for input into major pesticide registration decisions.

A modernized, strengthened and clarified law on pesticide regulation will also provide the solid legislative foundation needed to reduce risks posed by pesticides and facilitate the availability of newer, safer products and the removal of older products that might pose greater risks.

The Act would strengthen health and environmental protection, make the registration system more transparent, and strengthen post-registration control of pesticides. Specific measures include:

• requiring special protection for infants and children;
• supporting pesticide risk reduction, for example, ensuring that only pesticides that make a useful contribution to pest management are registered and encouraging the registration of lower-risk products;
• establishing a public registry to allow access to detailed evaluation reports on registered pesticides;
• allowing the public to view the test data on which these pesticide evaluations are based;
• allowing the Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) to share scientific studies with provincial/territorial and international regulators;
• requiring pesticide companies to report adverse effects;
• requiring re-evaluations of older pesticides 15 years after they are registered and providing the Minister with the authority to remove pesticides from the market if required data are not supplied; and,
• providing increased powers of inspection and higher maximum penalties, up to $1 million for the most serious offences, when pesticides are not marketed or used in accordance with the law.