Question Period Note: Microbeads

Microbeads

• The Government of Canada recognizes the environmental risks that microbeads pose to lakes, rivers, and fish.

• In 2016, the Government of Canada added plastic microbeads to the “List of Toxic Substances” under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999.

• Since then, the Government has banned microbeads in toiletries, under Canada’s Chemicals Management Plan.

• The Microbeads in Toiletries Regulations were published in June 2017, and they prohibit the manufacture, import, and sale of toiletries, used to exfoliate or cleanse, that contain plastic microbeads.

REGULATIONS
o These Regulations are helping to protect the environment by reducing the quantity of plastic microbeads entering fresh water and marine ecosystems.

The House of Commons unanimously voted on March 24, 2015 on a motion that microbeads in consumer products entering the environment could have serious harmful effects, and therefore the government should take immediate measures to add microbeads to the List of Toxic Substances in Schedule 1 of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999.

The Government of Canada prioritized the scientific review of microbeads. A report was published in July 2015 summarizing the state of the science on microbeads and their potential environmental impacts. The report concludes that microbeads may pose a concern to the environment and are considered toxic under CEPA, 1999. A notice on proposed regulatory actions and a proposed Order to add plastic microbeads to Schedule 1 of CEPA were published in the Canada Gazette, Part I, on August 1, 2015. These publications signaled the intent of the Minister of the Environment and the Minister of Health (the Ministers) with regards to further risk management activities.

On June 29, 2016, the Government of Canada published the final listing of microbeads in the Canada Gazette Part II, adding microbeads to the List of Toxic Substances under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999. Adding microbeads to the List of Toxic Substances extended the range of possible tools that could be used to reduce their release into the environment. This important step provided the Government of Canada with the authority to use regulations under CEPA, 1999, to reduce releases of microbeads to water.

In June 2017, the Microbeads in Toiletries Regulations were published and a series of phased-in prohibitions came into force on January 1, 2018.

Question Period notes as provided by the Department to the Minister’s Office