The Sierra Club of Canada, one of Ottawa’s highest profile environmental groups, took the federal Liberals to task last week for their record on reforming pesticide regulations and legislation on endangered species.
But they praised health minister Allan Rock for his decision to block sale of a dairy cattle growth hormone in January.
The Health Canada decision on bovine somatotropin won the highest mark in the Sierra Club’s annual report card on Ottawa.
“This is a special bonus mark of A+ to minister Rock for rejecting registration of bovine growth hormone,” said the Sierra Club report, which has been issued annually since Canada signed an environmental protocol at the Rio Earth Summit in 1992.
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“It is hoped this rejection of an unnecessary and potentially dangerous product is just the beginning of re-orienting federal government policy to put human health first.”
Rock did not do so well on other fronts.
The group said pesticide regulations remain outdated and in need of revision.
For years, the government has promised changes to the Pest Control Products Act but they still have not surfaced.
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Rock is the latest health minister to promise amendments and the Sierra Club said any change should take into account the impact on children of exposure to chemicals and also provide more information to the public about approved chemicals.
“They must provide for fast-track approval of less toxic alternatives to currently registered pesticides, or to de-register outdated products with existing less toxic alternatives,” said the lobby group report.
On the pesticide issue, it gave the government a D, an improvement over last year’s F.
The Sierra Club also called for tougher endangered species legislation this fall from environment minister Christine Stewart.
Ottawa was not the Sierra Club’s only environmental target.
At the provincial level, it gave Saskatchewan the lowest grade in the country.
“Roy (Romanow), what are you doing?” the report said in condemning the election-bound provincial NDP government for promising a doubling of logging in the north.
“Roy Romanow seems to have decided that (Alberta premier) Ralph Klein is his role model on environmental issues,” said the Sierra Club report.
And on greenhouse gas, “Saskatchewan’s emissions are now 34 percent higher than they were in 1990,” said the report. “The response is in true Canadian fashion – another advisory committee.”
