Question Period Notes
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In accordance with the Access to Information Act, the government proactively publishes the package of question period notes that were prepared by a government institution for the minister and that were in use on the last sitting day in June and December.
The question period notes may be partially or fully redacted in accordance with the legislation; for example, if the notes contain information related to national security or personal information. (Learn more about exemptions and exclusions.)
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• On April 22, 2021, the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development tabled an audit report of the Natural Health Products Program. Health Canada agrees with the findings and recommendations, and is committed to implementing measures to improve the oversight of natural health products and implement proactive risk-based compliance monitoring activities.
• Four COVID-19 vaccines are currently authorized by Health Canada and several others are under review.
• Throughout the pandemic, Health Canada has ensured that testing devices authorized for sale in Canada meet safety, effectiveness and quality requirements.
• The COVID-19 pandemic has created unprecedented challenges to Canada’s medical system, and there is a need for treatments to support the response.
• Trikafta, manufactured by Vertex Pharma, is the first triple combination therapy available to treat patients with the most common cystic fibrosis mutation. Following a Priority Review, Health Canada approved Trikafta on June 18, 2021, for the treatment of cystic fibrosis patients aged 12 and older. In July, Health Canada received a subsequent submission (a Supplemental New Drug Submission) that would expand the indication to include children aged 6 and older.
• The cost of Trikafta runs at over $300,000 annually. In September, some provincial governments announced that they would be funding Trikafta on their public drug plans for eligible patients.
• Health Canada has received many letters from patients and their supporters expressing their desire to have this drug made available in Canada, and media interest is high, particularly because of its use in the pediatric population.
• Glyphosate is the most widely used pesticide globally. Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) published its final re-evaluation decision document for pesticides containing glyphosate, on April 28, 2017, allowing its continued use in Canada (marketed under brand names such as Roundup and Vision). Several Notices of Objection (NoOs) were filed at the time, and following a review of stakeholders’ concerns, the Department confirmed that issues raised in these NoOs were not scientifically supported.
• On August 4th, 2021, the Federal Government announced that it will begin consulting on specific provisions of the Pest Control Products Act (PCPA) to consider ways to balance how pesticide review processes are initiated in Canada and increase transparency.
• In addition, the Federal Government announced a $50 million investment in Health Canada's Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC)'s pest management research, to be supported by Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC).
• This includes $42 million over three years to be invested in the PMRA to further strengthen its oversight and protection of human health and the environment. This includes improving the availability of independent data to further support pesticide review decisions, and the transparency of decision-making. A further $7 million will be invested to AAFC, and $1 million to ECCC in supporting work, to accelerate the research, development and adoption of alternative pest management solutions.
• In the interest of seeking Canadians’ views and input on the humaneness of pesticides used to control predators, Health Canada published a consultation document entitled Humane Vertebrate Pest Control on December 20, 2018 for a 120-day consultation period ending April 18, 2019.
• Health Canada received over 4000 responses, many of which revealed a lack of awareness of federal and provincial roles and responsibilities with respect to pesticide regulation, wildlife management and animal welfare, and the high degree of restriction placed on the use of these products.
• On January 29, 2021, Health Canada published a consultation summary outlining the comments received, as well as an information note to better inform Canadians on the strict label conditions that must be followed, as well as the federal/provincial/territorial roles and responsibilities regarding pesticide regulation, wildlife management and animal welfare.
• Pesticides are stringently regulated in Canada to ensure they pose minimal risk to human health and the environment. As part of the assessment process before a pesticide can be used on a food product, Health Canada scientists determine whether the pesticide residues that may be found in or on food will be a concern to human health, and determine the safe levels of residues, called Maximum Residue Limits, or MRLs.
• Health Canada sets science-based MRLs to ensure the food Canadians eat is safe. The MRLs for each pesticide-crop combination are set at levels well below the amount that could pose a health concern. If it is determined that a risk exists, the product will not be permitted for sale or use in Canada.
• During the summer of 2021, Health Canada received extensive comments during consultations for proposed changes to MRLs, in particular for proposals to raise the MRL for glyphosate on certain crops.
• The Pest Control Products Act (2002) provides robust protection of human health and the environment. However, some provisions of the Act now warrant review to ensure the pesticide approval process meets the expectations of Canadians in the area of transparency and sustainability. As part of targeted reviews of the Pest Control Products Act announced on August 4, 2021, Health Canada is pausing decisions on increases to MRLs until at least spring 2022. The announcement of August 4, 2021, also included funding that will allow the creation of a new expert panel process to provide advice, as appropriate, prior to evidence-based decisions on pesticides, including on MRLs.
• On May 19, 2021, Health Canada released the final re-evaluation decision for the neonicotinoid pesticide, imidacloprid. This followed the recent special review decisions related to aquatic organisms for two neonicotinoid pesticides, clothianidin and thiamethoxam, released by Health Canada on March 31, 2021. Previously, Health Canada had consulted publicly on a proposal to cancel all outdoor uses of these pesticides.
• Over 47,000 comments were received, as well as a substantial amount of new information, including new studies and water monitoring data. In order to protect the environment, in this final decision, Health Canada cancelled some uses of imidacloprid, and introduced additional mitigation measures and restrictions on some of the uses that remain registered, which is consistent with the recent Special Review decisions for clothianidin and thiamethoxam.