The regulatory process in Canada is very similar to most developed parts of the world, first world countries. There are in fact probably about 250 to 260 different types of scientific studies that the government requires to evaluate a product before it is given approval or rejected. From a health perspective, some of the key areas that are assessed include the risk for cancer and the risk for birth defects. The risk for any human health problems is looked at in over 85 to 90 different studies. For the environment, again, it's about 160 studies, looking at everything from any potential impact on water, soil, or air, including the pesticide itself or any breakdown product, as well as the impact on different species in the environment, which range from bees to earthworms to ducks. A multitude of species are looked at to see if there's going to be any impact from an environmental standpoint.
On October 6th, 2011. See this statement in context.