The statutory review of the Pest Control Products Act, 2015 : Report of the Standing Committee on Health

The Statutory Review of the Pest Control Products Act, 2015 Report of the Standing Committee on Health Ben Lobb Chair APRIL 2015 41st PARLIAMENT, SECOND SESSION Published under the authority of the Speaker of the House of Commons SPEAKER’S PERMISSION Reproduction of the proceedings of the House of Commons and its Committees, in whole or in part and in any medium, is hereby permitted provided that [...] Section 80.1 of the PCPA requires that a designated committee of the House of Commons, the Senate, or of both Houses of Parliament review the administration of the Act every seven years. [...] ISSUES RAISED RELATING TO HUMAN AND ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH The manner in which the “unacceptable risk” threshold that is contained in the PCPA is interpreted and the use of the “precautionary principle” with respect to the review and approval of pest control products was a topic referred to by several witnesses. [...] A. “Acceptable risk” and the “precautionary principle” A number of witnesses2 pointed out that the primary objective of the PCPA is “to prevent unacceptable risks to people and the environment from the use of pest control products.”3 S. 2(2) of the PCPA states that For the purposes of this Act, the health or environmental risks of a pest control product are acceptable if there is reasonable certai [...] The EU does that very well.9 With respect to the precautionary principle and the PCPA, witnesses noted that the principle is referenced in section 20(2).10 One witness stated “the precautionary principle should be in the act,”11 while yet another witness explained to the Committee that the PMRA is already bound by the precautionary principle: The precautionary principle only applies as a matter of