Agriculture committee  Once again, I recommend that there be discussion of the role of biodiversity protection in connection with the new commitments to ensure the sustainability of this industry.

Agriculture committee  Sure. Thanks for the question. I appreciate that line of thinking. I would encourage the committee to look to what's happening in the EU under the biodiversity strategy there, which does include a commitment to reduce pesticide use and risk by 50%. I think we need to pursue the

Agriculture committee  We do know that various factors are interrelated. I have seen studies that show a relationship between climate change and these diseases among bees. Studies also show that exposure to neonicotinoids makes bees more vulnerable to the effects of varroa.

Agriculture committee  In Quebec, the use of neonicotinoids has declined because of the provincial regulations. Elsewhere in Canada, we have not seen the same trend. It is very difficult to assess the situation because data is scarce. We have to rely on reports of pesticide sales. We are not seeing a d

Agriculture committee  Thank you for the generous question. We put forward a number of recommendations in the context of Health Canada's consultations last year on the targeted review of the act. I'd highlight three that are particularly relevant for this topic. Maybe I'll go to four. One is to revis

Agriculture committee  We think it's important for Canada to maintain the capacity to do its own pesticide research evaluations, for sure, but it is a concern when you see such starkly different conclusions, and even a more recent assessment from the EU supporting its prohibition. I would highlight, a

Agriculture committee  Thank you for inviting the David Suzuki Foundation to appear today. I'll preface my comments by saying that, while I very much appreciate this opportunity to offer some additional perspective on bee health, it is unfortunate that the committee did not make space for more witness

Environment committee  That term was added through an amendment that Senator McCallum introduced in the Senate. I would invite you to seek her views on her intentions behind that amendment.

Environment committee  Are you referring to the new requirement for reasons to be provided with confidential business information requests?

Environment committee  Seeing the chair raise the red flag here, I'll just be very brief. If we find ourselves in a position where the volume of toxic chemicals on the market makes it impossible to thoroughly assess, monitor and report on exposure to them, then we have a problem.

Environment committee  Thanks for the question. Of course, the rule of law is the crucial factor in translating legal obligations to results on the ground, and we know that unfortunately not all countries have effective rule of law systems in place to ensure that even constitutional obligations are up

Environment committee  Quickly, the punchline is that the answer is yes. Countries that recognize the right to a healthy environment do tend to perform better on all manner of environmental indicators.

Environment committee  Well, again, we can't compare apples to oranges—

Environment committee  Thank you for that last bit. It is key and relates also to the question that MP Collins raised earlier, which is that it's important to upgrade the law and it's important to ensure capacity to implement these new requirements. Without that missing ingredient, it will not make a d

Environment committee  Yes. I think the member countries of the European Union are probably the most relevant examples that I could point you to. I don't think you would find the same conclusion.