Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to further respond to the question posed to the Minister of Health by the hon. member for Davenport on October 24 which has repeated again this evening.
As my hon. colleague knows, the reform of the pest management regulatory system was a campaign promise of the government. In February 1995 the government announced the creation of a new agency, the Pest Management Regulatory Agency.
This new agency is mandated to protect the health of Canadians, their environment, and at the same time to provide the necessary pest management tools needed by farmers and other users. The agency has steadily made progress in implementing these reforms. Let me cite some examples. International harmonizations have been put in place to reduce costs to manufacturers and to save time. Operations have been streamlined. The agency has spearheaded federal-provincial working groups to find creative solutions to persistent pest problems.
As to the other question, the minister intends to introduce legislation during this mandate to provide the statutory basis for the reformed system. This step will usher in the final chapter of the reform process. The new legislation will modernize, clarify and strengthen the law and the regulation of pesticides, and it will provide the basis for a system in which we can all have confidence.