Firefighters themselves are extremely articulate on this very complex issue. If you ask a firefighter about PFAS, they will tell you that not only are they being exposed through their gear and the foams they've been using on the job, but they've also been actively doing research to draw the linkages between the types of cancer they're dealing with in these exposures, which is very difficult and very expensive work.
They are also doing that work on children's cancers, because their children also disproportionately suffer from cancers.
This is a huge issue in Canada and around the world. This is something that their unions have been actively pushing, not only to protect their workers but to protect their communities.
This is an opportunity for Canada to celebrate the good work we've done. We have a draft assessment in front of us that is quite strong. It makes the case on health and it makes the case on environment. It draws out a clear class-of-chemical approach, instead of going one by one through thousands of these substances. By taking the precautionary approach, to MP Pauzé's point, this is an opportunity for us to demonstrate to not only ourselves but the world, that Canada has and continues to be a real leader on toxics.