Canadians deserve to live in a safe and healthy environment. That is why the Government of Canada is ensuring transparency, safety and protection of human health and the environment by developing and implementing pest control product regulation.
Today, the Honourable Mark Holland, Minister of Health, announced Health Canada is publishing proposed amendments to the Pest Control Products Regulations (PCPR) in Canada Gazette, Part I. These amendments directly respond to input provided by stakeholders regarding the pesticide review process in Canada. This process began in 2022 with the targeted review of the Pest Control Products Act (PCPA), launched to bring strict standards for transparency and sustainability to pesticides in Canada.
Over the past several years, the Department has been working alongside key partners to tackle issues related to pesticide evaluation in Canada, such as the transparency of the decision-making process and enhancing environmental protection.
The proposed amendments include the facilitation of access to confidential test data for Canadians and clarifying the information needed from applicants to set maximum residue limits (MRLs) on imported foods. In conjunction with the PCPA, the proposed amendments would require the Minister of Health to issue a public notification once an application for an MRL for an imported food product has been accepted for review. This early notification would improve transparency and enable better public participation in the pesticide decision-making process. In addition, the proposed amendments would provide the Minister with the explicit authority to require applicants to provide information on both cumulative effects on the environment and on species at risk.
Ultimately, the proposed amendments would enable easier and more efficient access to data and information on pesticides for the public, while facilitating independent research and reanalysis.
These proposed changes to the PCPR complement Health Canada's recent work to strengthen protection of human health and the environment, improve transparency, increase public participation, and boost Canadians' confidence in pesticide regulatory decisions. Since 2021, Health Canada has implemented several key policy and operational changes to achieve these goals including post plain language summaries of key decisions online, disclose the names of pesticide applicants, and adopt an early public notification process for MRL applications for imported foods.
