Small rodents may be to blame for the changes in Canada’s pesticide laws. Here's why

OTTAWA — Earlier this spring, the federal government announced it would be temporarily lifting a two-year ban on a controversial rodenticide called strychnine until next year following damages worth hundreds of millions by a particular rodent in Alberta and Saskatchewan.

The infestation of the Richardson ground squirrels, also colloquially known as gophers, in both provinces was so rampant and the size of the holes they would dig were so big that the tires of tractors would be blown out and other farming equipment would be badly damaged.

The situation has affected a wide variety of crops — including canola, cereal and corn — across the Prairies at a time when Canada is aiming to export its resources globally.

Alberta and Saskatchewan submitted a joint emergency use request to Health Canada which was approved in late March, but it was already too late by then for farmers to use strychnine this year as the sole authorized manufacturer has faced supply chain issues.

A senior government official with knowledge of the deliberations said it took almost three rounds of emergency registration requests for strychnine to be approved at a time when farmers were faced with an “unmanageable infestation” and lacked suitable alternatives.

More generally, the official said the government has heard from Canadian innovators and venture capitalists in the agriculture space that they are leaving the country because of a regulatory environment for pesticides that is too cumbersome, risky and unpredictable.

“That is something that, I think, is keeping all of us up at night,” they said.

That’s why the government has moved this week to amend the Pest Control Products Act to make it easier to reinstate some previously banned pesticides like strychnine in a more timely manner — a disposition, the government claims, will be used only in exceptional circumstances when necessary to protect Canada’s economy or food security.

“Let’s be clear: the health and safety of Canadians will always be the priority,” said Alexandre Bergeron, press secretary to Health Minister Marjorie Michel.

Canada has given some exceptional new powers to the Governor in Council to amend registration or reauthorize a previously deregistered or banned pesticide if the country is faced with another situation that would have significant impacts on the economy.

The changes were buried in Bill C-30 — which implements elements of the spring economic update — which was rushed through the House of Commons and the Senate this week before leaving for summer. The legislation received royal assent on Thursday.

The government had announced its intention in the update to amend the Canadian Food Inspection Agency Act and the Pest Control Products Act to include consideration of food security and cost of food, but it did not explicitly mention authorizing banned pesticides.

The law now says the federal minister of health is to consider “as appropriate, national economic security, regional economic security or national food security” in deciding whether a pest control product should be used in Canada.

The news was welcomed by farmers and agricultural groups who said it will help with food affordability, but environmental and health organizations are sounding the alarm, saying politicians will be able to override science-based data to favour commercial interests.

“Giving cabinet the power to authorize the use of pesticides despite unacceptable risks is a dangerous departure from science-based decision-making,” Lisa Gue, national policy manager at the David Suzuki Foundation, said in a joint press release with other groups.

Jane McArthur, from the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment, said the escalation in toxic hazards will create real harms — increasing miscarriages, neurological diseases, contaminating ecosystems and weakening protections for future generations.

But Scott Ross, executive director at the Canadian Federation of Agriculture, said it is essential to align regulatory systems with food security and agricultural productivity.

Opposition parties have complained that there was nearly or no consultation or opportunity to study the changes to pesticide laws, as C-30 was rammed through the House of Commons finance committee after hours of obstruction by Conservatives.

Green Party Leader Elizabeth May attempted to water down the part on the Pest Control Products Act with amendments that were rejected. But the government accepted four of Liberal MP Steven Guilbeault’s amendments which increase transparency on decisions.

The Senate was equally frustrated to have to pass C-30 without having heard from experts. Sen. Rosa Galvez, an expert in pollution control, said the provisions on pesticides deserved a separate legislative process and a comprehensive study before approving them.

Progressives are increasingly growing frustrated with the Liberals’ deference to big business groups. NDP MP Gord Johns said the Liberals are letting “corporate lobbyists write the rules on pesticides rather than prioritizing the health and safety of Canadians.”

National Post calevesque@postmedia.com

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