International Agreements

Through domestic regulations, under authority of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA 1999), Canada implements the terms of international agreements to which it is party. Implementing the terms of these agreements demonstrates the intention to protect Canada's environment and the health of Canadians from risks posed by unregulated traffic in hazardous wastes and hazardous recyclable materials. Canada is party to three international agreements on the movement of hazardous wastes:

the United Nations Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal, 1989 (ratified by Canada in 1992);

the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Decision of Council on the Control of Transfrontier Movements of Wastes Destined for Recovery Operations, C(92)39/Final, March 1992, Revised C(2001)107 Version harmonized with the Basel Convention; and

the Canada-U.S.A. Agreement on the Transboundary Movement of Hazardous Wastes, 1986 (as amended in 1992).

These international agreements and related domestic regulations represent significant steps taken to manage hazardous wastes on a global scale.