moved for leave to introduce Bill C-363, An Act to amend the Pest Control Products Act (prohibition of the use of chemical pesticides for certain purposes).
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Timmins—James Bay for seconding the bill.
The bill would place a moratorium on the non-essential cosmetic use of pesticides in homes, gardens and in recreational places such as parks and golf courses. The moratorium would be in effect until such time as the chemical companies could prove beyond doubt that the product was safe. The object is to reverse the burden of proof and to put the onus on the chemical companies to prove their products are safe, instead of having Health Canada and the people of Canada trying to prove that their product is harmful. The moratorium would stay in effect until such time as they could make such proof known to a parliamentary committee and lift their product from the ban.
It is a nationwide ban on the non-essential cosmetic use of pesticides, herbicides and fungicides.
(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)