Coalition Opposes Bill C-31 Amendments to Pest Control Act

A coalition of farmers, pesticide exposure victims, and health and environmental organizations in Canada called on Parliament in Ottawa to remove Section 13 of Bill C-31, which proposes to eliminate mandatory 15-year reassessments of registered pesticides under the Pest Control Products Act.

This proposed amendment, currently before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance and also criticized by the Senate, seeks to replace the existing requirement for Health Canada to reassess registered pesticides every 15 years with a review of available information, triggering a full reassessment only when risks have “increased significantly.” The coalition raised concerns about the absence of a clear definition for