Environment committee  That's an interesting, as you say, reconceptualization. Really, what you're getting to is, what is the utility of the thing being produced? Does society have to deal with it after it has been produced, or is there some ongoing either durability or use for it in another context? T

Environment committee  In addition to a Canada-wide context, the marine context really takes some additional consideration and some special law. As you know, you can't go to a beach in British Columbia without finding polystyrene. I've been on very remote beaches on the central coast, and you find poly

Environment committee  We're certainly playing catch-up. We are a very large country, so we don't feel the pressure to deal with waste in a really meaningful way except in certain highly dense jurisdictions. We are definitely playing catch-up. You all have seen, from your reports, the European focus

Environment committee  We wouldn't have a waste problem if we regulated the kinds of plastics that we produce so that they could the then be used to create the raw materials needed for what the other witnesses have said their industries rely on. I wanted to refer back to something that Dr. Misra said.

Environment committee  No, we should not remove what is mandated by Health Canada, and also in partnership with people with different abilities. Therefore, I've maintained from the beginning that there will be lots of exceptions.

Environment committee  As the broad strategy gets put down into either plastic-specific or sector-specific...with much more detailed outcomes, then all of those exemptions will need to be spelled out. As another honourable member has said, that needs to be done in partnership with Health Canada and oth

Environment committee  Through the chair, I also want to point out that lead is on the schedule, and right now my son has a job pouring lead weights for a small local fishing company. Very clearly, what we're trying to do is to establish a baseline, a very low bar, of how we actually look at the impact

Environment committee  Thank you for the question. You know, I appreciate that with the federal government there's a lot of movement right now on CEPA, a lot of attention towards CEPA. The reality is that it is not hopelessly, but significantly, out of date. It was enacted. There were a number of su

Environment committee  There are lots of other great recommendations, again moving towards a more fulsome view of the circular economy, which then provides opportunities for businesses that are in this industry. One would be to require a minimum amount of recycled material in all types of plastics th

Environment committee  It's easy because it's very visible. In my view, there's a broad consensus, both at the government level and the citizen level, that something needs to be done.

Environment committee  The reason it's a low bar is they are arguably the most visibly polluting types of plastics that we have, and they are not necessary for the day-to day carrying on of society. I'm thinking specifically of plastic straws and single-use plastic bags, for example. There are always e

Environment committee  Another gross analogy would be the forest industry. Forty years ago, particularly in British Columbia, forestry was what drove that province and it certainly massively contributed to our education and public health care systems. There were very few regulations on how forestry cou

Environment committee  Thank you.

Environment committee  I sort of draw the analogy with water regulation, and you might all feel like letting your minds wander when I say that, but I deal a lot with water. We virtually do not manage water in Canada, except in a few areas. We have very little conception of who is using water in what qu

Environment committee  Mr. Chair, I'd be happy to. I want to first commend Dow, which is often used as the example of a company that has adapted as we've learned about chemicals over the last 40 years in particular. There are many stories from Dow Chemical about how they were innovators and leaders w