Government Weeds Out Old Pesticide Law, WWF Welcomes New Rules and Parliamentary Review

“Minister McLellan has read public opinion on pesticides correctly and is toughening controls,” said Julia Langer, Director of WWF-Canada’s International Conservation program. “With some critical improvements, dedicated use of this law will make Canada a safer place for wildlife and people. What is really missing, however, is any fundamental shift away from our reliance on pesticides.”

WWF-Canada noted key provisions in the Bill that deserve support, including:

• Accounting for the cumulative effect of pesticides with a similar mode of action and all sources of exposure to a particular pesticide (e.g. on food, indoors, in gardens) when determining a product’s acceptable level of risk
• Mandatory re-evaluation of pesticides on a regular schedule and when triggered by new information or by actions taken in OECD countries
• Consideration of sub-populations (e.g. children)
• Opportunity for public consultation
• Onus on registrants to prove that the risk from a product is acceptable

WWF-Canada is committed to work with parliamentarians, farmers and all stakeholders to make sure the law is as effective as possible. Key aspects of the Bill that need amendment, include:

• Lack of a streamlined process for registering lower risk products for farmers, landscapers and other users
• Inadequate provision for wildlife protection
• Public still denied full access to important information about pesticides
• Precautionary principle is mentioned but not operationalized

“Environmental laws must work for the people on the ground that they affect,” said Sarah Dover, Policy Advisor to WWF-Canada. “It’s disappointing that the Bill does precious little to address the needs of farmers and landscapers who want easier access to lower risk products available elsewhere in the world. This is critical for Canadian farmers to maintain international market access, reduce input costs and improve competitiveness.” Although many effective and safe alternatives to pesticides are available to farmers, municipalities, schools and gardeners, the current law makes registration of lower risk products onerous and few supports are in place to advance alternatives.

There are approximately 6,000 pesticide products registered under the PCPA. Some are considered highly toxic to wildlife and have been responsible for killing birds, fish, beneficial bugs like pollinators, frogs, turtles, and other species. Others are associated with chronic effects such as cancer. Many pesticides are known to accumulate in wildlife and human tissues, including mothers’ milk.

At least 80 registered pesticides can interfere with the hormones that control immune systems, brains and reproductive development in embryos and the young of all species. Children are particularly vulnerable to pesticide exposure because they eat three to four times the amount of food per body weight than adults, consume fruit and juices made from highly sprayed crops, and are also exposed to pesticides on lawns and floors.