News Release
2002-84
December 23, 2002
For immediate release
Legislation to modernize pesticide legislation and protect Canadians receives Royal Assent
OTTAWA - The Honourable Anne McLellan, Minister of Health, is pleased that the
new pesticide legislation has received Royal Assent. The new Pest Control Products Act (PCPA
2002), received Royal Assent on December 12, 2002.
The new Act will help ensure that Canadians are better protected from health and environmental
risks posed by pesticides, and help ensure a safe and abundant food supply. PCPA 2002 modernizes
and strengthens pesticide regulation and makes the registration system more transparent. The passage
of this legislation is the culmination of an extensive, multi-year review of pesticides regulation
in Canada and represents an overhaul of existing pesticides legislation.
"The new Pest Control Products Act modernizes Canadian regulation of pesticides and will
better safeguard Canadians - especially children - from health and environmental risks," said Minister
McLellan.
The new Act will:
Strengthen health and environmental protection by:
- requiring special protection for infants and children;
- taking into account pesticide exposure from all sources, including food and water, and
- considering cumulative effects of pesticides that act in the same way; and,
- supporting pesticide risk reduction, for example, by ensuring that only pesticides that make
a useful contribution to pest management are registered and
- expediting the registration of lower-risk products.
Make the registration system more transparent by:
- establishing a public registry to allow access to detailed evaluation reports on registered pesticides;
- allowing the public to view the test data on which these pesticide evaluations are based; and,
- allowing the Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) to share scientific studies with provincial/territorial
and international regulators, which will enhance the process for international joint reviews of
pesticides, giving Canadian growers equal access to newer, safer pesticides so they can be competitive
in the marketplace.
Strengthen post-registration control of pesticides by:
- requiring pesticide companies to report adverse effects;
- requiring re-evaluations of older pesticides 15 years after they are registered and
- providing the Minister with the authority to remove pesticides from the market if required data
are not supplied; and,
- providing increased powers of inspection and higher maximum penalties, up to $1 million for the
most serious offences.
The new PCPA will enhance public confidence, here and abroad, that Canadian agri-food, forestry
and other products are safe.
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For more information, visit the  Pest Management Regulatory Agency web
site.
Media Inquiries:
Chris Krepski
Pest Management Regulatory Agency
(613) 736-3693
Farah Mohamed
Office of Anne McLellan
Minister of Health
(613) 957-1694
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