Evidence of meeting #36 for Environment and Sustainable Development in the 39th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was cepa.
A recording is available from Parliament.
4:25 p.m.
Director General, Safe Environments Programme, Department of Health
With respect to the question, and to do it full justice, I would prefer to submit a written response of all the different actions that the department has taken with respect to lead and any of the gaps that currently exist.
December 11th, 2006 / 4:25 p.m.
Conservative
4:25 p.m.
Associate Assistant Deputy Minister, Environmental Stewardship Branch, Department of the Environment
Yes. Lead in CEPA has been largely industrial processes—lead smelters and that sort of thing. In terms of consumer products, I couldn't give you an answer on any plans forward on consumer products and lead.
On mercury, I know there has been an intention to develop a strategy on mercury products, and that will be coming soon.
4:25 p.m.
Conservative
Mark Warawa Conservative Langley, BC
I look forward to that.
Ms. Cooper mentioned the fact sheet on the web page that was just opened. Would you comment on that? She said the fact sheet on the web page was incorrect with specific substances. Do you have any comment on that?
4:25 p.m.
Director General, Safe Environments Programme, Department of Health
Thank you very much for that question.
I would start off by accepting her congratulations that it has a lot of good stuff on there, so I would consider it a step forward from where we have been in the past.
There are a number of issues there. As we've said, there are a lot of products. We're not able to inspect all of them. There is a built-in mechanism within the website for people to submit questions to us about these and, when they start to find substances in places where we don't think those should be, to report those, so that will help us. In some respects, I'm not surprised that we see these sorts of things.
The other issue that is somewhat challenging for CEPA is what's called an inventory update rule. We do our risk assessments based on some data that isn't always as relevant or as current as we would like, and there is an opportunity for us to make sure that is evergreen—for example, the categorization exercise, which we're very proud of. But the domestic substances inventory hasn't been updated since 1989, so we have to do section 71 surveys on each specific substance to find out new uses or put them on the national pollutant release inventory.
We'll continue to make sure that website is as accurate as possible. We believe it is, based on the information that has been submitted to government, but we're not at all surprised to find some irregularities, and we'll follow up on those.
4:30 p.m.
Conservative
Mark Warawa Conservative Langley, BC
Okay, I have just one very quick comment to Ms. Cooper.
I'm sorry, I've run out of time. I was hoping to ask you a question. The Clean Air Act deals with indoor air quality. So with your comments regarding substances and foam that breaks down and adds to the house dust that we breathe in, I think that's another good way of dealing with indoor air quality and substances.
4:30 p.m.
Senior Researcher, Canadian Environmental Law Association
Can I respond to that?
4:30 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Bob Mills
Can you do it as part of Mr. Vellacott's question and answer, please?
4:30 p.m.
Conservative
Maurice Vellacott Conservative Saskatoon—Wanuskewin, SK
The commissioner, when she was here, noted the fact that energy and transportation sectors make up the bulk of Canada's emissions that harm the environment, and yet energy and transportation policy is primarily outside the environment portfolio.
I have about three questions here. My first one is this: how can we ensure that for things like energy and transportation, environmental policy is not developed in isolation, but rather, is made complementary? Should we have some body that oversees that type of thing between the different departments in a more forceful way?
I guess I'd put that to the department people first, and then I want to get a response from the others too.
4:30 p.m.
Director General, Safe Environments Programme, Department of Health
I do health.
4:30 p.m.
Conservative
Maurice Vellacott Conservative Saskatoon—Wanuskewin, SK
You do health, yes, exactly—it's the same question.
4:30 p.m.
Associate Assistant Deputy Minister, Environmental Stewardship Branch, Department of the Environment
In the whole vehicles and fuels area, there is already strong cooperation with Transport. Then on energy, as we develop new regulations dealing with the energy sector, NRCan is part of the consultation process we're doing now, and part of working with us.
4:30 p.m.
Conservative
Maurice Vellacott Conservative Saskatoon—Wanuskewin, SK
Do you feel it's strong enough as it presently is, complementary enough? You don't have departments claiming the turf, and so on? Does that need to be mandated in some way, or just simply—?
4:30 p.m.
Associate Assistant Deputy Minister, Environmental Stewardship Branch, Department of the Environment
I think there's good cooperation among the three principal agencies on what you're talking about: Transport, NRCan, and Environment Canada.
4:30 p.m.
Conservative
Maurice Vellacott Conservative Saskatoon—Wanuskewin, SK
Right. And you have no problems with the way it's working now?
4:30 p.m.
Associate Assistant Deputy Minister, Environmental Stewardship Branch, Department of the Environment
No.
4:30 p.m.
Senior Researcher, Canadian Environmental Law Association
At the risk of talking when I haven't prepared myself on the topic, because I focused on products, I think you're pointing out a really important issue. You're focusing on areas where the concern is the greatest, in terms of health concerns from air pollution, and in particular on concerns about the smog-forming air pollutants, the so-called “criteria air contaminants” that are primarily coming from transportation and some large industrial sources.
The inter-jurisdictional issue of concern there that needs to be addressed, where standards need to be strengthened, is Canada-wide standards.
4:30 p.m.
Conservative
Maurice Vellacott Conservative Saskatoon—Wanuskewin, SK
Interdepartmental, probably, more than inter-jurisdictional, but—?
4:30 p.m.
Senior Researcher, Canadian Environmental Law Association
Yes, it's interdepartmental, but it's also an inter-jurisdictional issue, because we have tended to put to the level of Canada-wide standards some of the most difficult and intractable issues, such as the smog-forming air pollutants, and we need to do a better job of controlling them.
I guess I would respond just to point out that you've identified one of the key problems, and that the regulatory responses need to be addressed partially in that framework as well.
4:30 p.m.
Conservative
Maurice Vellacott Conservative Saskatoon—Wanuskewin, SK
In fact, in the United States they have what they call the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969. For all those other departments that are not specifically designated to protect the environment, it describes the degree of cooperation expected or required in carrying out those duties, even if they're not the designated department.
Going back to the department people again, do you not feel we need anything such as the U.S. has that lays it out very specifically, as they do in their 1969 act?
4:30 p.m.
Associate Assistant Deputy Minister, Environmental Stewardship Branch, Department of the Environment
Well, we already have two similar mechanisms to those in the U.S. We have the requirement for all departments to do sustainable development strategies. We also have all departments signed on to implement the toxic substances management policy of 1995.