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1999 Report of the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development
Exhibit 3.7—Strained Relations on the Issue of Mercury
This case study illustrates the impacts of a long-standing scientific disagreement between federal departments on heavy metals, particularly mercury, and the efforts that have been made to resolve the issue.Mercury occurs naturally in the environment and is also released as the result of human activities. In certain forms it can be toxic to both humans and wildlife and can cause neurological damage. Despite long-standing regulations under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act and the Fisheries Act to curb emissions from specific sectors, mercury deposition continues to be a problem in many ecosystems. For example, five Canadian provinces and 39 American states have issued consumption advisories for freshwater sport fish because of mercury contamination. Common loons breeding in the Maritimes have the highest blood mercury levels in North America, which is affecting their ability to nest and raise their young. These concerns have elevated the issue of mercury to the international level with the North American Commission for Environmental Co-operation and the recent negotiation of a heavy metals protocol under the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE).
Scientists do not dispute mercury's impacts, but there is disagreement about the relative contribution of natural versus human-made releases present in the environment. Natural Resources Canada has argued for greater recognition of the contribution of natural emissions of mercury. This has been the subject of considerable scientific controversy and disagreement with other federal departments and international scientists. These differences have resulted in Canada's presenting a divided opinion on the issue to the European and North American communities and, in effect, "airing Canada's dirty linen in public". The situation has also strained relations in domestic discussions with Canadian stakeholders.
Efforts to resolve these scientific differences of opinion and to develop a federal position were initiated under the Memorandum of Understanding among the Four Natural Resources Departments in 1995. The Metals in the Environment initiative has resulted in scientific studies both as co-operative efforts and as individual departmental projects. After three years of work the debate remains; however, the departments have identified and agreed on the scientific and policy questions that must be addressed.
Disagreement notwithstanding, there is growing evidence of the environmental impacts of present levels of mercury in the environment. This has led Environment Canada's Atlantic Region to conclude that "any steps to prevent and reduce mercury pollution would be valuable . "