From: Gord.Johns (my MP)
Sent: May 16, 2018
Subject: RE: Canada should ban bee-killing neonics in 2018!
Dear Sandra,
Thank you for taking the time to write to us about the decision made by the Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) regarding the use of the neonicotinoid pesticide imidacloprid.
Like you, the NDP wants decisions to be science-based and we want to ensure that our environment and human health are not being compromised.
In November 2016, the Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) published the results of its risk assessment of imidacloprid. Following that assessment, the PMRA proposed that most agricultural uses of imidacloprid be phased out over a three to five year period, depending on the availability of adequate alternatives. Here are comments made by the PMRA’s Executive Director before the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food regarding the Agency’s decision to withdraw the pesticide imidacloprid:
«As part of our broader, cyclical re-evaluation of the three major neonics, we are conducting an examination of all the available science—this is both published and proprietary information—regarding risks to the aquatic environment. These risks are evaluated in the context of how neonics are used in Canada and all the available information. This includes actual levels found in water by federal and provincial governments and academic sources in Canada. We have completed our review of the risks to the aquatic environment of the neonic imidacloprid, one of the three neonics, and the reviews of two other neonics are in progress. One of the key outcomes of PMRA’s re-evaluation of the neonic imidacloprid was the conclusion that the use of imidacloprid in Canada is causing harm to aquatic environments. » Mr. Richard Aucoin (Executive Director, Pest Management Regulatory Agency, Health Canada), March 7, 2017
The NDP believes that the Agency’s decision regarding imidacloprid is based on science and aims to protect our environment. We hope that in this case, science and environmental protection will continue to take precedence over the economic interests of major corporations that design pesticides. The Agency must continue to make science-based decisions and pursue its regular re-evaluation of pesticides that may be harmful to humans or the environment.
We thank you again for contacting us.
Yours sincerely,
Gord Johns, MP Courtenay-Alberni