Madam Speaker, it has been a pleasure discussing this with my hon. colleague on numerous occasions. He is working hard on this matter, and I appreciate that greatly.
Canadians want us to address plastic pollution. We agree, and are doing our due diligence to advance the best solutions for Canada in a timely manner. The Government of Canada has made getting to zero plastic waste one of its environmental priorities. To do so, we are taking action through a comprehensive approach.
Since the motion was approved, I am very happy to report that progress has indeed been made. On February 1, we published the draft science assessment on plastic pollution for public comment. This report will guide future research and inform our decisions as we follow through on our commitment to ban harmful single-use plastic, where warranted and supported by science, as early as 2021, and take other actions to reduce plastic pollution. This is the first step in accessing our regulatory tools under the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act.
We do not take lightly the decisions around the role government should play in the management of single-use plastics and other plastic products. The development of any regulatory measure, including which products will be targeted, will be informed by science and socio-economic considerations.
We will also continue to engage and consult with stakeholders throughout the development, management and review of potential regulations or other measures. These efforts are part of a comprehensive agenda to reduce plastic waste and pollution. We are developing a range of complementary actions, which include encouraging better product design for longer product life, recyclability and recycled content; increasing the collection of plastic waste; and making producers responsible for the waste their products generate.
We are also greening our federal operations by eliminating unnecessary single-use plastics, procuring sustainable plastic products and working toward our commitment to divert 75% of our plastic waste by 2030.
In 2018, Canada launched the Canadian Plastics Innovation Challenge to help small and medium-sized businesses find new ways to reduce plastic waste and turn waste into valuable resources. Eight challenges were completed in 2018-2019, providing over $11.8 million to 18 Canadian small and medium-sized entrepreneurs. Three finalists for 2019-2020 were announced this February. The federal leadership toward zero plastic waste initiative includes grant funding of $2.6 million for Environment and Climate Change Canada to undertake new Canadian Plastics Innovation Challenges over the next three years, beginning in fiscal year 2019-20.
We are also investing in science, innovation and deployable solutions, such as through Environment and Climate Change Canada's recently launched funding opportunities, one for advancing science and the other for targeting community-level solutions. The Government of Canada is providing grants and other supports for community activities such as shoreline cleanups, and for accelerating research on the life cycle of plastics and on the impacts of plastic pollution on humans, wildlife and the environment. This complements the investments by Fisheries and Oceans Canada to support projects that help prevent and retrieve lost fishing gear.
We have also worked with the provinces and territories and launched the Canada-wide strategy on the zero waste plastic and phase 1 action plan. We are working together to implement these commitments, including by creating a road map to address single-use plastics, guidance for consistent policies to make companies that manufacture or sell plastic products responsible for their end-of-life management, and national targets and standards for plastic products and packaging.
We are taking action. Internationally, we have garnered support from 26 governments and from 67 businesses and organizations that have endorsed the Ocean Plastics Charter, committing to take action along the life cycle of plastics.
We are committed to taking action on this issue. We have already started. We are going to get it done.