Quebec Agriculture Minister André Lamontagne is concerned about the resignation of the co-chair of Health Canada1’s independent scientific committee on pesticides.
Posted at 12:54 am. Updated at 05:00.
What there is to know
- A new controversy rocks Health Canada over pesticides. The co-chair of the independent scientific advisory board resigned on June 27. The news broke on Monday.
- dr Bruce Lanphear feared his role as co-chair gave a “false sense of security” that Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) is protecting Canadians from toxic pesticides.
- Quebec’s agriculture minister believes his resignation raises “questions”.
“False sense of security”, “outdated regulatory system”, “impeded transparency”: Dr. Bruce Lanphear slammed the door of the Scientific Advisory Committee on Pest Control Products by slamming the federal agency that oversees the approval of these chemicals.
” What happened [lundi]”Of course, the resignation of the co-president still raises many questions, because what it calls into question is transparency,” Minister André Lamontagne explained in a telephone interview with La Presse.
PHOTO ROBERT SKINNER, LA PRESSE ARCHIVE
Quebec Minister of Agriculture André Lamontagne
He has so little confidence that he arrives. So there are certainly many questions, but the rest is particularly worrying.
André Lamontagne, Quebec Minister of Agriculture
The minister announces that he raised the issue at a meeting on Tuesday morning with his federal colleague Marie-Claude Bibeau.
“When you see places where trust can be eroded, you have to act,” he told her.
dr Bruce Lanphear, Professor of Health Sciences at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia, was appointed Chair of Health Canada’s Pest Control Products Scientific Advisory Committee in June 2022.
This panel of nine independent experts was formed in the wake of a controversy that made headlines in 2021.
Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) then – at the request of pesticide manufacturer Monsanto Bayer – proposed raising the maximum residue limit for the herbicide glyphosate on beans and peas. At the request of multinational Syngenta, it also proposed allowing more traces of the fungicide metalaxyl on blueberries.
“antinomian”
Mr Lamontagne recalled that Quebec has opposed increasing the allowable levels of pesticide residues on food from 2021.
“This project certainly creates an ambiguity in terms of what we want to achieve,” he points out.
Because both Quebec and Canada have “great ambitions in the agri-environmental sector,” claims the minister.
The Sustainable Agriculture Plan 2020-2030, adopted during Minister Lamontagne’s first term in office, aims to reduce the amount of pesticides sold throughout the province by 15% and the index that quantifies the risks of pesticides by 40%. for health and the environment.
At the 15th United Nations Conference on Biodiversity (COP15), held in Montreal in December, Canada also committed to reducing pesticide risks by at least 50% by 2030.
The file on the increase in pesticide residues in food had caused an uproar in Quebec. A few weeks before the 2021 federal election was called, the Trudeau government had suspended plans for a rate hike. This suspension was partially lifted on June 20.
“Here we are at a construction site of this nature, which is a bit at odds with what we want to achieve and do, both on the federal side and in Quebec. While the resignation of the co-president, who is also a scientist, was well acknowledged, I was personally surprised when I read this. I said to myself, “Oh man, it’s not about trust, it’s not about transparency.” »
“Industry Biased”
La Presse contacted the other eight members of the Scientific Advisory Committee on Pest Control Products. Four answered.
Christy Morrissey, a professor in the Department of Toxicology at the University of Saskatchewan, wrote in an email in English that she told Dr. I have “enormous respect” for Lanphear and his decision to leave the university.
I recognize the need to reform the PMRA regulatory process, which is heavily influenced by industry and lacks the transparency needed to build public confidence in protecting human health and the environment in Canada.
Christy Morrissey, Member of the Advisory Board
“These issues have resulted in regulatory delays, the continued use of pesticides that have been scientifically proven harmful, and a historical trend of increasing pesticide dependency in Canada,” she continues. However, she has no plans to resign.
“The PMRA has indicated a commitment to reform and I remain hopeful that change will come, based in part on the advice we independent and respected scientists can offer through the recently established Scientific Advisory Board. “ »
His hope is shared by his colleague Xianming Zhang, an assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Concordia University.
“Through the efforts of the committee, some positive changes are taking place in decision-making processes related to agrochemicals,” he also said in an email.
Sean Prager, an entomology researcher from the University of Saskatchewan’s College of Agriculture and Bioresources, said that the PMRA process “probably needs an overhaul.”
“It is important that it is as modern, scientifically sound and efficient as possible in order to protect the health of Canadians and the environment, and also to ensure that agricultural producers in Canada can operate efficiently.” This should be done as transparently as possible. As a scientist on the scientific committee, I hope to achieve this,” he wrote to us.
A new co-chair
Late Tuesday, Health Canada announced the appointment of a new co-chair. This is Eric Liberda, a professor in the School of Occupational and Public Health at the Metropolitan University of Toronto.
“The PMRA will take advantage of this leadership change to meet with the External Pest Control Products Scientific Advisory Committee as soon as possible to review the Committee’s terms of reference. “The PMRA has already committed to consulting members of the committee on the scientific issues they wish to place on their agenda,” said Marie-Pier Burelle, spokeswoman for Health Canada.
Eric Liberda also stated that he supported the choice of Dr. Lanphear “respects”.
“I understand his point of view and the issues he raised and hope the committee can address them while ensuring the safety of Canadians remains our priority.” I have no intention of resigning; I hope that these and any other future concerns can be addressed constructively,” he said in an email he sent to us.
Federal Minister of Agriculture Marie-Claude Bibeau and Federal Minister of Health Jean-Yves Duclos did not want to react on Tuesday.