20,000 signatures reached
To: Minister of Health Jean-Yves Duclos
Preserve our bees - eliminate the use of neonicotinoids in agriculture
In Canada, agriculture uses pesticides based on neonicotinoids which are poisonous to all insects including our most important pollinators — bees.
Why is this important?
Bees are critical to life on earth. They maintain the wellbeing of our ecosystems and pollinate a third of the crops we consume, providing pollination services valued at $2 billion to Canadian farmers every year. [1] Without them, Canada’s food system would collapse.
Neonicotinoids were banned by the European Union two years ago because of their devastating impact on bee populations. [2] Neonicotinoids can kill insects on contact, interrupt their ability to navigate and reproduce [3] and threaten to poison our fish, our water, and the foods we eat.
In 2018, the Ministry of Health promised to ban the use of neonicotinoids in Canada. But last year, they quietly walked back on their commitment — trading out a decisive neonicotinoid ban with half-measures that come nowhere close to meeting the scale of the problem. [4]
It’s time for our government to follow the example of the European Union and ban the use of neonicotinoids. We need to stop the use of this chemical to preserve our environment and stop poisoning ourselves!
Sources
[1] https://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/pollinators/documents/AgCanadaNativePollinators.pdf
[2] https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/neonics-neonicotinoids-banned-european-union-protect-bees-pollinators-environment-science-spd
[3] https://www.nationalobserver.com/2021/05/31/news/bees-dying-toxic-chemicals-feds-wont-save-them
[4] https://www.ctvnews.ca/climate-and-environment/canada-rejects-outright-ban-on-bee-killing-pesticides-1.5370556
Neonicotinoids were banned by the European Union two years ago because of their devastating impact on bee populations. [2] Neonicotinoids can kill insects on contact, interrupt their ability to navigate and reproduce [3] and threaten to poison our fish, our water, and the foods we eat.
In 2018, the Ministry of Health promised to ban the use of neonicotinoids in Canada. But last year, they quietly walked back on their commitment — trading out a decisive neonicotinoid ban with half-measures that come nowhere close to meeting the scale of the problem. [4]
It’s time for our government to follow the example of the European Union and ban the use of neonicotinoids. We need to stop the use of this chemical to preserve our environment and stop poisoning ourselves!
Sources
[1] https://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/pollinators/documents/AgCanadaNativePollinators.pdf
[2] https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/neonics-neonicotinoids-banned-european-union-protect-bees-pollinators-environment-science-spd
[3] https://www.nationalobserver.com/2021/05/31/news/bees-dying-toxic-chemicals-feds-wont-save-them
[4] https://www.ctvnews.ca/climate-and-environment/canada-rejects-outright-ban-on-bee-killing-pesticides-1.5370556