Thank you very much, Mr. Chair and members of the committee. It's my pleasure to be here today to speak to you about the role that Health Canada plays in fresh water. My name is Greg Carreau, and I am the director general of the safe environments directorate at Health Canada.
I would like to begin by acknowledging that the land on which we are meeting today is the traditional and unceded territory of the Anishinabe Algonquin Nation.
I welcome this opportunity to discuss Health Canada's role with respect to improving water quality in Canada.
Health Canada is the federal government lead for human health matters related to drinking and recreational water and is responsible for pesticide regulation.
All drinking water and many recreational water sites originate from fresh water. For this reason, freshwater quality affects the quality of drinking water and recreational water. Under the Department of Health Act and the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999, Health Canada developed science-based guidelines for contaminants that could be found in drinking water and recreational water.
Health Canada also regulates pesticides under the Pest Control Products Act to prevent unacceptable risks to individuals and the environment from their use. Protection of the environment under the act includes assessing and preventing unacceptable risks to fresh water. Pesticides are approved for use in Canada only after stringent, science-based evaluation that ensures risks are acceptable.
In delivering this important mandate related to fresh water, Health Canada collaborates with other federal departments and all levels of government. With respect to drinking water and recreational water, Health Canada works closely with provinces, territories and other federal departments to develop the water quality guidelines. These guidelines are non-regulatory and used by provinces, territories and other government departments to establish and implement their regulations and policies. Federal departments with responsibilities for water safety, like the Department of National Defence and the Correctional Service of Canada use the guidelines to meet their obligations.
When requested, Health Canada also advises jurisdictions on the potential health effects of contaminants in fresh water following spills and other contamination events.
Though not involved in the provision of drinking water in first nations communities, Health Canada provides Indigenous Services Canada with source-to-tap advice on drinking water issues.
Health Canada also supports the Public Health Agency of Canada in determining the burden of waterborne disease.
Regarding the management of pesticides, Health Canada's pest management regulatory agency closely collaborates with provinces, territories and other federal departments; non-government organizations; academic institutions; and the private sector on freshwater challenges that relate to pesticides.
Health Canada collaborates with its international partners on activities and agreements related to chemical management that lead to protection of fresh water as well, such as the Stockholm Convention and the Canada-U.S. Great Lakes water quality agreement. The department also works with international governmental and non-governmental organizations such as the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the World Health Organization on water quality issues.
Sound science is critical for Health Canada to meet its responsibilities related to freshwater, including an understanding of the drinking water supply from the source to the consumer's tap in order to promote clean, safe and reliable drinking water.
A sound scientific understanding of the presence of chemicals, pesticides and other substances in fresh water is needed to understand their potential impact on human health. The department has identified a number of emerging science issues related to fresh water, including the health effects and water treatment options of perfluorinated substances, or PFAS for short; the causes of cyanobacterial blooms, also known as blue-green algae, in source water; the presence of bacteria, viruses and parasites in groundwater; and the presence of pesticides in source water.
To address these emerging areas, Health Canada is investing in research and monitoring and is collaborating with academics, other government departments, different levels of government and the international community.
Health Canada welcomes the creation of the Canada water agency and sees it as complementary to our work on drinking and recreational water quality as well as on pesticides. The agency’s role to further scientific research and support water quality monitoring will contribute to preventing the contamination of drinking water from source to tap, thereby reducing risks to health.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I would be pleased to answer any questions the committee may have.