Thank you very much.
I'm going to talk about biotechnologies. In 1994, CIELAP proposed that CEPA include a separate part on biotechnologies. The government's response was part 6 of CEPA, and part 6 has been, in our view, underused. CEPA is the only federal legislation that provides clear authority for the regulation of biotechnologies, and the government in fact should be using part 6 of CEPA for these new technologies.
Modern biotechnology can involve the transfer of genetic materials between species. This does not occur routinely in nature. The past few years have witnessed the rapid commercialization of agricultural biotechnology in Canada. Modern biotechnology is now moving quickly into new fields. We have GE-fish, animals, and trees. At the same time, there's a growing body of evidence emerging regarding the potentially negative environmental and health impacts of these products. Concerns have been raised about the ability of the current regulatory system to in fact address those issues. Genetically modified organisms used in the open field cannot effectively be contained and pose certain ecological risks and even economic risks for nearby farmers.
CIELAP has been calling for a comprehensive policy framework for biotech since 1985. The elements of such a framework are in our submission. There is an opportunity here for the government to show leadership and to ensure that Environment Canada uses its powers under CEPA to establish a national regulatory regime to address the environmental risks of biotech.
I have a couple of words about others. There is the restriction technologies, or terminator technology. These we feel should be banned in Canada because pollen from terminator plants could contaminate and kill seeds of other nearby plants. Another quickly emerging technology is nanotechnology, manipulating materials at the scale of atoms and molecules. We feel that CEPA should also be used to regulate the development and use of this technology.
Thank you, Mr. Chair, and thank you for your indulgence.