Canadian government introduces Chemicals Management Plan (February 12, 2007)

The federal government has unveiled Canada’s new Chemicals Management Plan, which takes immediate action to regulate chemicals that are harmful to human health or the environment.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper described the plan as part of the government’s environmental agenda, which includes the Clean Air Act, support for public transit and action on renewable fuels. “The Chemicals Management Plan we are unveiling will make Canada a world leader in assessing and regulating chemicals that are used in thousands of industrial and consumer products,” the Prime Minister said. “It includes realistic and enforceable measures that will improve our environment and protect the health and safety of Canadians.”
The plan is designed in large part to address the problem of so-called legacy chemicals. Since 1994, new chemicals have not been manufactured in Canada, or imported into the country, without undergoing a scientific risk assessment, called the New Substances Notification (NSN) regulations.
Legacy chemicals, however, are the approximately 23,000 chemicals that were introduced in Canada prior to the NSN regulations.
In September 2006, the government finished complete categorization of the 23,000 legacy chemicals. The next step, it said, is to improve product-labelling programs as well as deal with imported products that use chemical substances that are prohibited in Canada.
The Harper government said that it plans to commit $300 million over the next four years to implement the Chemicals Management Plan.
Information about hazardous chemicals can be found on the government’s newly launched website: http://www.chemicalsubstances.gc.ca.