Agriculture committee  In Canada, organic agricultural products account for about 4% of the food market. The organic agriculture sector in Canada receives less than 0.2% of federal funding for production, research and innovation. Investment is needed in order to stimulate this expanding market, to stim

Agriculture committee  That is a broad question, but I will try to be brief. Consider for example neonicotinoid pesticides, which were introduced into the market to replace the use of organophosphorus in farming in Canada. The hope was that neonicotinoid pesticides would be less toxic than organophosp

Agriculture committee  Quebec has had agricultural pesticide use reduction targets for decades. That is part of Quebec's phytosanitary strategy for agriculture for 2011-2021. The lesson learned in Quebec is that, without a bill, without funding and support programs, it is not possible to miraculously

Agriculture committee  We make lots of specific recommendations to that effect in our document. We need to rethink many of the agricultural support programs that are currently in place that incentivize synthetic pesticide use in agriculture. I'll give you one example: crop insurance programs. You can o

Agriculture committee  I wouldn't say that pesticides are a threat to Canadian agriculture. I said that overuse, extensive use, and over-dependence on synthetic pesticides, as the first tool to combat pests, are the problem when we know that we have beneficial management practices, integrated pest mana

Agriculture committee  That's it for me. Thank you very much.

Agriculture committee  Good afternoon and thank you for inviting Équiterre to testify in your study on a food policy for Canada. This is the first time in Canada we have had a national discussion on the quality and the source of our food. Today, we want to talk to you about a threat to the sustainabil

Agriculture committee  Under the Pest Control Products Act, the Minister of Health is responsible for determining whether the health and environmental risks associated with the use of a pesticide are acceptable. The decision-making process does not take into account whether another option is available.

Agriculture committee  As an environmental, not-for-profit organization, our only option to participate in the process is to submit comments in the public comment period. We are not considered one of the stakeholders that Mr. Hunter has referred to, who are consulted early on in the process. I can al

Agriculture committee  Again, it's very specific to the crop and the environment and the conditions under which those treated seeds are used. The research I have referred to is specifically to soya and corn grown in Quebec, and there is also some very good research coming out of the U.S. EPA showing th

Agriculture committee  Certainly. If you are interested in broadening the scope of your study, I encourage you to consult Quebec's environment ministry, but above all, it's agriculture ministry, and to take a good look at the province's agricultural crop health strategy. As I mentioned, it sets out too

Agriculture committee  Yes, it is possible. In Quebec, in fact, the data shows that approximately 50% of corn and soybean crops are grown using treated seeds. That means 50% of seeds are not treated. As I said, further to its agricultural pesticide strategy for 2015-18, the Quebec government intends to

Agriculture committee  Indeed, I do think that a number of stakeholders could make a significant contribution to your study. I mentioned some of them, including organic farmers who successfully grow field crops without pesticides. Other farming sectors in Canada have also implemented integrated pest ma

Agriculture committee  Yes. I would refer the committee to the studies done by Quebec's Centre de recherche sur les grains, notably Dr. Labrie's research. I have all the studies here. Researchers at the centre focused mainly on farm yields and the efficacy of neonicotinoid-treated soybean seeds in keep

Agriculture committee  Certainly.