Question Period Note: Pesticine regulation

N/A

• Pesticides are stringently regulated in Canada to ensure they pose minimal risk to human health and the environment. Under authority of the Pest Control Products Act (PCPA), Health Canada:
o registers pesticides after a science-based evaluation that ensures any risks are acceptable;
o re-evaluates the pesticides currently on the market on a 15-year cycle to ensure the products meet current scientific standards; and
o promotes, monitors and enforces compliance with the PCPA.

• To further strengthen pesticide oversight and protection of human health and the environment and improve transparency, on August 4th, 2021, the Federal Government announced a $50 million investment in Health Canada's PMRA and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC)'s pest management research, to be supported by Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC). This investment is intended to further strengthen pesticide monitoring and protection of human health and the environment, and to increase transparency.
• The Government of Canada takes pesticide safety very seriously, and is committed to making evidence-based scientific decisions. Pesticides are only approved for use in Canada after being thoroughly assessed to ensure no harm to human health or the environment will occur when used according to the label.
• Health Canada is strengthening its oversight and protection of human health and the environment. This includes increasing use of independent data, modernizing business processes, and improving transparency.
• Health Canada conducted extensive public consultations between March and June 2022, on ways to increase transparency and strengthen human health and environmental protection.
• The development of a national water monitoring program and of new transparency measures are currently underway. Implementation of elements of the new approach to continuous oversight of pesticides across their life-cycle has also started. Health Canada will continue to implement further initiatives to ensure our pesticide review process meets the expectations of Canadians.

IF PRESSED ON FURTHER DETAILS ON THE SCIENCE ADVISORY COMMITTEE …
• The Transformation agenda includes the creation of a new independent Science Advisory Committee on Pest Control Products in Canada (SAC-PCP). The committee membership was announced on June 27, 2022 and already held its first 2 meetings in July and October.
• The role of the Science Advisory Committee on Pest Control Products is to provide independent scientific advice, as appropriate, to Health Canada’s PMRA to help inform evidence-based decisions on pesticides.
• The Committee is a source of scientific advice for PMRA on specific issues related to pest control products, including on MRL processes, and other scientific questions.

IF PRESSED ON THE CONTINUED USE OF GLYPHOSATE IN CANADA …
• Health Canada scientists have conducted an extensive review of this chemical and have concluded that glyphosate can be used safely when label directions are followed.
• We will continue to monitor the situation for new information, and will not hesitate to take action if needed.

IF PRESSED ON WHAT HEALTH CANADA IS DOING TO MONITOR GLYPHOSATE IN THE ENVIRONMENT …
• Health Canada is establishing a national water monitoring framework with provinces, territories, and other key stakeholders, to collect real-world data on the presence of pesticides, including glyphosate, in surface and groundwater in Canada.
• This framework will help to shed better light on regulatory decisions on pesticides. Sampling began in the summer of 2022 and the first results will be published in mid-December 2022.

IF PRESSED ON GLYPHOSATE FOUND IN FOOD …
• Recent testing by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) shows levels found are compliant with the maximum residue limits allowed to be in or on food. As such, the levels detected by the CFIA are not a cause for health concern for Canadians.

IF PRESSED ON GLYPHOSATE FOUND IN DRINKING WATER …
• Health Canada has assessed potential human health risk of glyphosate from drinking water. Dietary (food and drinking water) exposure associated with use of glyphosate was found not to be of concern.

IF PRESSED ON THE PROPOSAL TO INCREASE GLYPHOSATE MRLS …
• Health Canada is currently working to increase transparency and its use of independent data and advice, including to clearly communicate rationales for its decisions, the science that underpins them, and how decisions will impact Canadians.
• Health Canada received significant feedback from the public in response to the proposed increase to MRLs for glyphosate in May 2021. MRL-related comments resulting from the Pest Control Products Act (PCPA) consultation, which closed on June 30, 2022, are also being considered.
• Health Canada is currently reviewing all feedback received to inform its approach including on MRLs.
• Health Canada will continue to welcome feedback from all stakeholders and engage interested partners, including Indigenous organizations, as it continues to develop and implement its proposed initiatives on business process modernization, improved transparency and increased use of real-world data.
• In October, Health Canada sought independent advice from the new SAC-PCP to better inform its decisions on MRLs. Moving forward, additional scientific advice will be sought to inform Health Canada’s proposed continuous oversight approach to identify and consider emerging scientific information in a timelier manner. These steps will help ensure that MRLs are established and reviewed using an evidence-based approach and based on the best science available.

IF PRESSED ON WHETHER HEALTH CANADA – WHO IN 2018 PROPOSED TO CANCEL ALL USES OF NEONICOTINOIDS – IS TAKING A SOFTER STANCE DUE TO PRESSURE FROM THE AGRICULTURAL SECTOR …
• As part of the public consultation on its proposed decisions, Health Canada received more than 47,000 comments from the public, pesticide registrants, non-governmental organizations and provinces. As well, a significant amount of new water monitoring data and scientific studies and papers from various sources such as registrants, provinces, academia and other regulatory authorities were reviewed.
• The Department considered these new scientific papers, data and comments to make sound, science-based, final decisions regarding the risks to the environment from the use of these neonicotinoid insecticides in Canada.
• An evaluation of available scientific information resulted in certain uses being cancelled to address potential risks of concern to pollinators. Some uses meet current standards for protection of pollinators when used according to the conditions of registration, which include required amendments to label directions.

IF PRESSED ON HEALTH CANADA’S DECISION TO CANCEL THE USE OF STRYCHNINE FOR RICHARDSONS’S GROUND SQUIRREL CONTROL IN SASKATCHEWAN AND ALBERTA DESPITE A STUDY SUBMITTED FROM SASKATCHEWAN …
• Health Canada’s scientists reviewed all pertinent information, including the study from Saskatchewan, before concluding that no practical mitigation measures could be implemented to protect the environment adequately.

Before a pesticide is allowed to be used or sold in Canada, it must undergo a rigorous scientific assessment that provides reasonable certainty that no harm to human health and the environment will occur when it is used according to label directions. Depending on the type of pesticide being evaluated, results from up to 200 scientific studies (or more in some cases) may be required to determine whether the pesticide would have any negative effect on people (e.g. chronic effects such as cancer), animals or plants, including organisms in the soil and water. This assessment also takes into consideration sensitive populations, such as pregnant and nursing women, infants, children and seniors.

Health Canada’s PMRA must also periodically re-evaluate pesticides that are on the market to determine whether they continue to meet the Department’s health and environmental standards and hence, whether they should continue to be permitted for use in Canada. The PCPA also requires Health Canada to initiate a special review of a registered pest control product when there are reasonable grounds to believe that the health or environmental risks of the product are, or its value is, unacceptable, or when an OECD member country prohibits all uses of an active ingredient for health or environmental reasons.

On August 4, 2021, 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).

To deliver on this commitment, the PMRA has established a Transformation Agenda, which focuses on four major areas: strengthen its oversight and protection of human health and the environment through modernized business processes. This includes increasing the availability of independent data and independent advice to better inform regulatory decision making, and improve transparency to increase the public’s understanding of the decision-making process for pesticides and a targeted review of the PCPA.

The Transformation agenda includes the creation of a new independent Science Advisory Committee on Pest Control Products in Canada (SAC-PCP). On January 27, 2022, Health Canada officially launched a call for nominations to create the new SAC-PCP. Nominations closed March 11, 2022, and the committee membership was announced on June 27, 2022. The committee held its first meeting in July. A second meeting was held October 20, and a subsequent meeting is scheduled for December 5, 2022.

The role of the Science Advisory Committee on Pest Control Products is to provide scientific advice, as appropriate, to Health Canada’s PMRA to help inform evidence-based decisions on pesticides. The Committee is a source of scientific advice for PMRA on specific issues related to pest control products, including on MRL processes, and other scientific questions.

In Spring 2022, PMRA launched consultations with a broad range of partners and stakeholders on a targeted review of the PCPA through a discussion document published on Canada.ca. A total of 121 written submissions were received. Additionally, over 40 meetings were held with partners and stakeholders, including meetings of the Transformation Steering Committee (TSC), technical working groups (TWG), public information sessions, and meetings on an ad-hoc basis with stakeholders.

Throughout these consultations, PMRA heard from a variety of groups – pesticide manufacturer associations, agricultural and non-agricultural pesticide users, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), academia, Indigenous organizations, the provinces and territories, foreign jurisdictions, including the United States, Australia and the European Union, and the general public.

This consultation concluded on June 30, 2022, followed by extensive review of the feedback received to inform the path forward on pesticides. The ‘What We Heard’ report, published on November 1, 2022, provides an overview of what PMRA heard through the consultation. As such, it is intended to reflect the views of respondents as they were expressed and does not necessarily reflect the views of the Government of Canada, the existing legislative framework in the PCPA or the operational practices of PMRA.

Working with Provinces, territories as well as federal partners, PMRA also launched a water sampling pilot in spring 2022 to inform the development of a national water monitoring framework for pesticides. Results will be released publicly on the Government of Canada’s open Portal as soon as they become available.

The PMRA has also taken steps to improve access to information on pesticides by revamping its website in late October 2022. As a result, users can now easily search for information in the Public Registry, on consultations underway or on specific pesticide decisions, including MRLs

• To deliver on this commitment, the PMRA has established a Transformation Agenda, which focuses on four major areas: strengthen human and environmental health and safety oversight and protection through modernized business processes, improve transparency to increase the public’s participation in the decision making process for pesticides, increase use of real-world independent data and independent advice to better inform regulatory decision making, and a targeted review of the Pest Control Products Act (PCPA).
• Health Canada launched extensive public consultations on a review of specific provisions of the PCPA, in alignment with the Minister of Health’s mandate letter. The consultations, which closed on June 30, 2022, sought the ideas and input of Canadians and stakeholders on a series of questions to inform the review. A What We Heard report was published on the Government of Canada’s web site. The report summarizes the input received from 121 written submissions and over 40 engagement sessions with a broad range of stakeholders and partners. Health Canada is currently taking into consideration all feedback received to inform the targeted legislative review, as well as to inform the various policy and regulatory initiatives currently underway.
• Other results achieved to date includes the creation of a science advisory committee to provide independent advice to the PMRA prior to making certain pesticide decisions, the launch of water sampling at various sites across the country to inform the development of a national water monitoring framework for pesticides, and revamping PMRA’s website to facilitate navigation and search for information by users on registered pesticides or consultations underway. The PMRA has also initiated implementation of certain elements on its new approach that aims to continuously review emerging science on pesticides across their life-cycle.