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Equiterre and the David Suzuki Foundation are suing the Government of Canada for its refusal to protect Canadians from harmful pesticides already banned for use in other countries.
Lawyers from Ecojustice, acting on behalf of the two environmental groups, have filed a lawsuit alleging that the Minister of Health and the Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) acted unlawfully when they refused to review the approval of pest-control products containing the three following pesticides:
- Chlorthal-dimethyl – a herbicide used to control weed and grass growth on farms that has been banned in Europe since 2009. Several U.S. states have reported groundwater contamination from use of chlorthal-dimethyl. It has also been detected in Canadian surface water. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has also classified the herbicide as a possible human carcinogen.
- Trifluralin – a top-selling herbicide in the Prairie provinces that can be found in 17 registered pesticide products in Canada. It has been banned in Europe since 2007, because of its high toxicity to fish, high persistence in soil and high potential for bioaccumulation.
- Trichlorfon – an insecticide approved for use on balsam fir and spruce wood lots, Christmas tree plantations and cattle. Banned in Europe since 2007, trichlorfon is linked to central nervous system and neurological effects in humans. It is also toxic to bees and birds.
Photo : Christian Brault
