Environment committee  Thanks for the question. Indeed, Health Canada pays a lot of attention to emerging science and works with the World Health Organization, the Environmental Protection Agency and other partners around the world in monitoring emerging science. The research that you mentioned has certainly been part of that broader surveillance of emerging science on drinking water.

Environment committee  Indeed, I was here at this table helping on Bill S-5 and the amendments to the Canadian Environmental Protection Act in the introduction of the right to a healthy environment. Health Canada's Canadian drinking water quality guidelines are published under the authorities of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act and do, then, provide the basis upon which provinces and territories implement those guidelines in their policies and regulations.

Environment committee  No, the right to a healthy environment is in the confines of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act; however, in the administration of the protection of health and the environment from chemicals, it is very much a whole-of-government approach, using the authorities under the Pest Control Products Act, the Food and Drugs Act or the Canada Consumer Product Safety Act, which provide a whole-of-government approach to the management of chemicals that may be of concern for the Canadian environment.

Environment committee  Again, questions related to the decisions made on waste-water effluents are under the purview of Environment and Climate Change Canada, and we'd defer to that. Health Canada works with provinces and territories to ensure that there's guidance in place and that there are guidelines and treatment to be able to deliver safe water to all Canadians based on the pollutants we see in source water contamination.

Environment committee  Again, I would defer to my colleagues at Environment and Climate Change Canada.

Environment committee  From a health perspective, again, we work with provinces and territories to ensure that drinking water treatment can ensure safe water delivery to Canadians across the country.

Environment committee  Thank you. Again, I would defer to my colleagues at Environment and Climate Change Canada with respect to the specific questions on discharge. However, from a fish consumption issue that was raised in the line of questioning, indeed Health Canada does have very specific guidance and health information to prescribe to ensure the safe consumption of fish that may be in contaminated areas.

Environment committee  Thank you very much for that question. As I've mentioned previously, the responsibility for providing clean, safe and reliable drinking water to the public generally rests with the provinces and territories, and municipalities generally oversee the day-to-day operations of the treatment facilities.

Environment committee  Thank you very much for the question. Again, with relation to discharge of waste-water effluents and those decisions, those are in the purview of Environment and Climate Change Canada, so I'd defer to my colleagues in response to that line of questioning. However, I can say that from a drinking water perspective and for the protection of health, Health Canada does indeed have strong health guidance on pesticides, chemicals, plastics and other pollutants that may be present in fresh water to ensure that provinces, territories and municipalities put in place treatment to ensure that those pollutants are reduced to a level that is acceptable and that thereby they protect the health of Canadians.

Environment committee  Thank you for the question. Funding for infrastructure is beyond Health Canada's mandate, but certainly the Health Canada drinking water quality guidelines are reflective of available science, and when they're changed, they're changed as a result of a known and scientific understanding of the risk to Canadians.

Environment committee  There is.

Environment committee  Thank you very much for the question. As it relates to the discharge of waste-water effluents, that would be under the purview of Environment and Climate Change Canada, and we would defer to officials from that department to respond to that question.

Environment committee  Thank you for the question. The Pest Management Regulatory Agency has a strong role in regulating pesticides in Canada and collaborates very closely with non-governmental organizations, academics and the public. More recently, the Pest Management Regulatory Agency has announced an initiative to transform the agency to ensure that the agency undertakes its regulatory authorities in a robust and comprehensive way and has sought feedback from the public, as well as other government departments, municipalities and different levels of government, to inform the efforts around transforming the agency and ensuring strong regulatory oversight of pesticides in Canada.

Environment committee  As my colleague mentioned, the authority on the budget for the Canada water agency would lie with Environment and Climate Change Canada. They would be better positioned to respond to that question.

Environment committee  Thank you very much for the question. The update of the manganese drinking water quality guideline was done in very close collaboration with provinces and territories because of implications for small communities and regions across Canada that may have higher levels of manganese, which may present challenges to them.