Political accountability for the continued use of glyphosate in Canada

Petition: 484

Issue(s): Agriculture; Human/environmental health; Pesticides; Science and technology; Toxic substances

Petitioner(s): A Canadian resident

Petitioner location(s): Toronto, Ontario

Date received: 2 May 2023

Status: Completed - Response(s) to petition received

Summary: The petition raises concerns regarding the extent to which the federal government is regulating the use of glyphosate, the most used pesticide in Canada, and regarding glyphosate’s effects on human health and the environment. The petition expresses concern over the consumption of and the exposure to glyphosate by Canadian residents, its harm to aquatic and terrestrial species, its role in the loss of biodiversity, and its effects on certain endangered or threatened pollinators.

According to the petition, in August 2021, the Government of Canada paused any decisions related to increasing the maximum residue levels of glyphosate in crops so that the government could consider ways to balance how pesticide review processes are initiated in Canada. The petition claims that there is no current update on the proposed levels and that the federal government has not provided timely information to Canadians on glyphosate residue in food.

The petition alleges that rising levels of glyphosate residues in food because of its increased use for weed and harvest management are threatening international trade in Canadian organic food products because many countries have banned the use of glyphosate or have maximum residue levels that are lower than those in Canada. The petition seeks clarification regarding the basis used to determine Canadians’ “safe” dietary exposure to glyphosate residues in domestic and imported food and asks what has been done to verify that directions for spraying glyphosate are appropriate to ensure that residues in food do not exceed safe limits.

The petition highlights that the Pest Management Regulatory Agency is responsible for assessing the science to determine “acceptable risk” for a pesticide’s use in Canada. The petition alleges that the agency has not acted on current independent science that shows danger from glyphosate exposure, despite its commitment to change to a continuous oversight lifecycle approach that would respond to new scientific findings when determining an acceptable risk for a pesticide’s use in Canada. The petition asks the agency how this new approach is being used to review the science on glyphosate’s effects in its human health assessment process.

According to the petition, the government needs to have a plan to reduce overall pesticide use in Canada to comply with Canada’s commitments under Target 7 of the Kunming‑Montréal Global Biodiversity Framework. The petition asks the government whether Agriculture and Agri‑Food Canada’s Sustainable Agriculture Strategy will reflect these commitments and requests details on any support provided to farmers to reduce the use of glyphosate and replacement pesticides and to transition to agro‑ecological approaches. Furthermore, the petition asks how ministers are working together to create a whole‑of‑government approach.

The petition notes that glyphosate is sprayed as a forest management practice in certain provinces and questions whether the Pest Management Regulatory Agency has consulted with or provided Natural Resources Canada and the Canadian Forest Service with current scientific findings on glyphosate and forests. Furthermore, the petition asks whether the latter has initiated any work to stop the use of glyphosate in forests as a result.

The petition raises concerns about glyphosate‑based herbicides that are sprayed on forests and crops and asks what measures are in place to ensure that watersheds that supply drinking water are protected from glyphosate contamination from these activities. Furthermore, it asks how water and drinking water quality is monitored and protected and what measures are in place to identify glyphosate‑related environmental contamination.

Federal departments/organizations responsible for reply: Agriculture and Agri‑Food Canada; Environment and Climate Change Canada; Health Canada; Natural Resources Canada