In what has to rank as one of the worst and most obvious negative aspects of our free trade agreements, the government has moved recently to lower the standard for residual pesticides on our food products.
Yes, that’s right. Those fruits and vegetables that we all buy in the grocery, regardless of whether they are Product of USA or Product of Canada, will now have a higher allowable limit of pesticides remaining on them when you purchase them and bring them home for dinner.
The idea here is to eliminate the trade barriers.
Richard Aucoin, chief registrar for Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency, explained last week that limits are changing to harmonize with other countries, specifically the U.S
“The fact that there are different pesticide-residue limits in two countries for one crop … there is the potential of a trade issue happening at the border if there’s a sense that those residues might exceed the Canadian limits,” he said.
So let me get this straight. We have an official with Health Canada, ostensibly charged with safeguarding the health of the Canadian population, worried more about trade issues than his primary responsibility?
That’s right up there with our Finance Minister John Baird. (NOT a typo!!!)
To be clear, the Green Party is outraged at this. We believe that the onus to change standards should be on the US, to decrease the acceptable limits for residual pesticides.
This action justifies all of the people who protest trade rules which encourage environmental degradation by forcing jurisdictions to meet the lowest common denominator.
When it comes to your health, wouldn’t the highest common denominator be nice for a change?
Vote for true leadership. Vote Green.
