The Canadian Environmental Law Association, a not-for-profit non-government organization, recently made a submission to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change (MOECC) that makes recommendations on Canada’s position for the upcoming international meetings of Parties to key chemicals agreements to the Stockholm, Basel, and Rotterdam Conventions which takes place in later this month in Geneva, Switzerland.
The Stockholm Convention is an international agreement that protects human health and the environment from persistent organic pollutants (POPs). The Basel Convention is an international agreement on the control of transboundary movements of hazardous wastes and their disposal. The Rotterdam Convention is an international agreement on shared responsibility and cooperative efforts in the international trade of certain hazardous chemicals in order to protect human health and the environment from harm.
In the submission, CELA suggests that public engagement should be strengthened and that the federal Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change (ECCC) add additional substances to the limitation list. CELA further suggests that the ECCC commit to reviewing and reconsidering its position on pentachlorophenol (PCP), considering there are safe and economically viable non-chemical alternatives. Finally, CELA, urges the ECCC to take action on the listing of chrysotile asbestos during the international meetings.
