New federal bill won't reduce reliance on pesticides: critics

Environmental groups say a long-awaited update of Canada's 33-year-old Pest Control Products Act (PCPA) is a significant move forward but it still does not go far enough in shifting Canadians away from their reliance on pesticides.

Canada's current pesticide law controls approximately 6000 products, many of which were approved in the 1960s and 1970s. PCPA 2002, due for passage in the Commons by summer, legislates mandatory reporting of adverse events and fines of up to $500 000. It also calls for the re-evaluation of all existing pesticides and automatic reviews every 15 years. It provides more protection for children because the evaluation process considers chemicals' cumulative effect.

The legislation also opens the activities of Health Canada's Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA), which manages the regulation of pesticides, to public scrutiny. Pesticide evaluation reports, including previously confidential industry information, will be available to the public. Currently, the public must use Access to Information rules to obtain study information.

Both the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE) and the World Wildlife Federation Canada (WWFC) welcome the new act, but want a commitment to pesticide reduction set as a broad goal.

“It's disappointing that the bill does precious little to address the needs of farmers and landscapers who want easier access to lower-risk products available elsewhere in the world,” says Sarah Dover, policy adviser to the WWFC.

These products, such as corn gluten, which is used to keep weeds at bay, aren't patentable or readily available.

Dr. Kapil Khatter, CAPE's executive director, adds that the new act isn't strong enough. For example, mandatory reviews 15 years after registration sound good in theory, but these evaluations can take up to 20 years, during which time the product stays on the market. — Barbara Sibbald, CMAJ