Pesticides Coalition: Canada Must Choose Science and Health Over Lobbyists

Author of the article:You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account.MONTREAL, Dec. 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — A coalition of nearly 30 civil society and academic organizations is urging the federal government to halt plans announced in the latest budget to weaken Canada’s pesticide process, and instead launch a long-overdue public debate and comprehensive reform. The Coalition warns that the proposed changes would reduce protections for farmers, public health, and the environment.Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.At the center of the Coalition’s concerns is the government’s intention to abolish the cyclical re-evaluation of pesticides. Eliminating this mechanism would further weaken a regulatory system that already heavily favours the agrochemical industry and its lobbyists, and puts more power in the hands of a regulator that has lost the trust of the public.

The Pest Management Regulatory Agency spent $42 million on the “transformation agenda” between 2022 and 2025, and made no improvements.The Coalition also stresses that the statutory review of the Pest Control Products Act (PCPA) is nearly four years overdue. The law requires parliamentary review at least every seven years, and the last review took place in 2015.Get the latest headlines, breaking news and columns.By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.The next issue of Top Stories will soon be in your inbox.We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try againInterested in more newsletters? Browse here.“No modification of the PCPA should be made without full understanding of current scientific evidence and an open debate involving all stakeholders, not only the pesticide industry,” said Pascal Priori, coordinator of Victims of Pesticides Québec (an initiative of the Quebec Association of Public Health).Recent GBH controversies highlight regulatory flawsRecent events have exposed shortcomings of the current regulatory framework. A decades-old study concluding that glyphosate-based herbicides (GBH) posed no health risks, long relied upon by regulators worldwide, was formally retracted after it was revealed to have been ghostwritten by Monsanto’s employees and to have ignored available independent research.Independent scientific studies highlight the multiple and serious health impacts of pesticides. In 2015, WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified glyphosate as carcinogenic to animals and probably carcinogenic to humans. More recently, the Ramazzini Institute’s Global Glyphosate Study found that low-dose exposure caused multiple types of cancer in rats, reinforcing IARC’s earlier conclusions.“Glyphosate-based herbicides contribute to the increasing cancer rates, and constitute a substantial economic burden. According to the Canadian Cancer Society, the cost of cancer on Canada’s healthcare system and patients reached $37.7 billion in 2024, ” said Meg Sears, chair of Prevent Cancer Now.An opportunity to improve pesticide regulationin Canada“Canada falls short of responsible pesticide regulation to protect public health and the environment. It focuses on the “active ingredient” and does not assess pesticide formulations; does not base its evaluation on recent independent scientific literature review; and does not give full public access to scientific data and studies used in the evaluation process,” said Marie-Hélène Bacon, Researcher and coordinator of Ecohealth Research Collective on Pesticides, Policies and Alternatives (CREPPA).“The science model used by PMRA is antiquated and does not protect Canadians from the risks of pesticides. We demand a regulator who uses up to date scientific thinking, methods and evidence to assess the true risks of pesticides. We need an overhaul of the entire scientific approach,” said Mary Lou McDonald, President, Safe Food Matters.Therefore, the Coalition calls on the federal government to:1- Reform the pesticide assessment process to ensure it is based on marketed pesticide products, up to date independent scientific knowledge, and real life multiple exposures.2. Maintain periodic and ad-hoc reviews of active substances and pesticide products, including biocontrols, to respond quickly to emerging risks or harms, and to identify least-toxic approaches.3. Conduct a comprehensive review of the entire PCPA and its application, as required by the PCPA, and not just the re-evaluation provisions, with a view to improving the scientific approach of PMRA.4. Launch an expedited special review of glyphosate-based herbicides, under subsection 17(4) of the PCPA, including carcinogenicity, using up-to-date science and modern methodologies, and impose a moratorium on their renewals or registrations.This news release is signed by: Marie-Hélène Bacon, Ph.D., Researcher and coordinator of Ecohealth Research Collective on Pesticides, Policies and Alternatives (CREPPA), Université du Québec à Montréal.Louise Vandelac, Ph.D., Full professor, Director of Ecohealth Research Collective on Pesticides, Policies and Alternatives (CREPPA), Université du Québec à Montréal.Pascal Priori, Coordinator, Victims of Pesticides Québec, an initiative of the Quebec Association of Public Health Mary Lou McDonald, LL.B., President, Safe Food Matters Inc.Meg Sears, Ph.D., Chair Prevent Cancer Now; Research Associate Ottawa Hospital Research Institute.Dr. Raquel Feroe, Pesticide Free EdmontonJennifer Berman Diaz, Children’s Health Defense Canada, GMO Free Canada, NonGMOTorontoDr. Jodi Koberinski, director, Earth Education LeagueCaroline Recollet, spokesperson, Traditional Ecological Knowledge EldersLucy Sharratt, Coordinator, Canadian Biotechnology Action NetworkDr Claire Barber MD PhD FRCPC, CAPE Alberta Member, Associate Vice Chair Planetary Health University of CalgarySarah Nesbitt, Founder, Patients and Families in New Brunswick with High Levels of Herbicides Dr John O’Connor, Family Physician, Dakota Norris CAPE Manager, Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment, Alberta.Nina Newington, President, Save Our Old Forests AssociationRob Bright Stop Spraying and Clear Cutting Mi’kma’ki (NS)Bob Bancroft, President, Nature Nova ScotiaMarise May, Vice President, Cha’s OrganicsMike Lancaster, Coordinator, Healthy Forest CoalitionTaylor Stanley, Impact Strategy Manager, Riverside Natural FoodsBeatrice Olivastri, CEO, Friends of the Earth CanadaJennifer Baichwal, Director, Mercury Films, Inc. Thibault Rhen, Coordinator, Vigilance OGMMaureen Hutchinson-Parker, Stop the Spray CanadaJoel Theriault, Founder, Stop the Spray OntarioCaroline Lube-D’arcy, Stop Spraying New BrunswickJames Connor, Millions Against Monsanto TorontoRachel Parent, Kids Right to KnowPaule Hjertaas, Saskatchewan Network for Alternatives to PesticidesMedia contactsVera Ferret Communications Manager Quebec Association of Public Health (ASPQ) vferret@aspq.org 450-626-8879Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion. Please keep comments relevant and respectful. Comments may take up to an hour to appear on the site. You will receive an email if there is a reply to your comment, an update to a thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information.