Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise today to attempt to address the question posed by the hon. member for Edmonton Strathcona regarding the regulation of toxic substances.
Our government is committed to reducing the risks posed to Canadians by toxins and toxic substances. We are working with the provinces and territories to set stronger air quality standards to improve air quality and to protect the health of Canadians and their environment. These standards have continuous improvement built in, as well as keeping clean areas clean.
In 2016, Canada published the multi-sector air pollutants regulations, Canada's first federal regulatory requirements for industrial air emissions. The regulations apply to thousands of sources of air pollution across Canada, including oil and gas and chemicals facilities. These regulations are expected to reduce 2,000 kilotonnes of nitrogen oxide emissions, resulting in over $6 billion in cumulative health and environmental benefits for Canadians over the 2016 to 2035 period.
In May 2017, we proposed new national regulations that will reduce emissions of toxic air pollutants from many of the petroleum and petrochemical facilities that currently operate in Sarnia. It is anticipated that the proposed regulations will result in $238 million in health benefits, resulting from air quality improvements over the period from 2017 to 2035.
These proposed regulations are also expected to provide better air quality for Canadians living and working near certain oil and gas facilities. Cleaner air leads to improved human health, including fewer asthma symptoms, a reduced risk of premature death, and fewer heart-related issues.
The chemicals management plan assesses chemicals used in Canada and takes action on those found to be harmful. Through the chemicals management plan, the Government of Canada has committed to address 4,300 priority chemicals by 2020 and has considered more than 2,700 chemicals to date. We will continue to identify where further actions are required to prevent and control risks.