Spring 2025
To: Minister of Health, Honourable Marjorie Michel
hcminister.ministresc@hc-sc.gc.ca, marjorie.michel@parl.gc.ca
Re: Cancel Approval of Glyphosate for Forestry Use
We are Canadian organizations and Indigenous peoples concerned about the spraying of pesticides on our forests.
A new report, Forest Spraying & Forest Food, shows the assessments for the use of glyphosate products on forests are flawed. Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) used a false assumption in its environmental assessment – that spraying occurs infrequently – and did not assess the consumption of food from the forest in assessment even though it was required to.
The result has been high pesticide levels in berries foraged by people as a source of food, disproportionately affecting Indigenous peoples and their food security. Scientific studies and surveys support this finding. Glyphosate is also toxic to terrestrial and aquatic forest species, based on PMRA findings.
We call on you to fulfill your primary mandate of protecting the environment and human health, including vulnerable sub-populations and future generations.
We call on you to cancel the use of glyphosate products on forests.
Sincerely,
The Organizations, Indigenous Peoples and Actions Listed and Linked Below
(NOTE: This is a live list so additional organizations are being added. To be added: Send an Email with “Cancel Forest Use” in Subject Line to SafeFoodMatters@gmail.com with the name and representative of the organization.)
Actions (Petitions and Resolutions with large sign-ons)
- Petition e-4127 with 18,385 signatures presented to the Canadian House of Commons May 2, 2023
- Stating glyphosate is used in forestry to kill unwanted trees, with the result that Canadian residents are exposed to it while harvesting
- Petition with over 310,000 signatures to the Ontario legislature by MPP France Gélinas on April 22, 2024
- Calling for an end to the use of non-essential chemical herbicides in Ontario’s public forests
- Supported by resolutions from Indigenous organizations, hunters, anglers, including the Chiefs of Ontario
- Resolutions from First Nations in Ontario dating back to 1989 demanding an end to chemical herbicide use in forestry
Organizations
| Organization | Contacts |
|---|---|
| Safe Food Matters Inc. | Mary Lou McDonald, President, mlmcdonald5@gmail.com |
| Stop the Spray B.C. | James Steidle, Founder, james.steidle@gmail.com |
| Stop Spraying New Brunswick | Dr. Caroline Lubbe-D’Arcy, Chair, stopsprayinginnewbrunswick@gmail.com |
| Into the Weeds Impact Campaign | Jennifer Baichwal, Film Director, Into the Weeds |
| Stop the Spray Ontario | Joel Theriault, Founder, joel.m.theriault@gmail.com |
| Save Our Old Forests (SOOF) Association (1000 members) | Nina Newington, President, nsforestprotectors@gmail.com |
| TEK Elders | Caroline Recollet, Elder |
| Wilderness Committee | Lucero González, Conservation and Policy Campaigner lucero@wildernesscommittee.org |
| Keepers of the Water | Paul Belanger, Science Advisor, science@keepersofthewater.ca |
| Nature Nova Scotia (5300 members) | Bob Bancroft, President, wild1@eastlink.ca and Rebecca Parker, Executive Director, becky.parker@naturens.ca |
| Ecology Action Centre | Ray Plourde Wilderness@ecologyaction.ca and Lindsay Lee lindsaymckim@gmail.com |
| Stop Spraying and Clear Cutting Mi’kma’ki (NS) (5000 members) | Sydnee Lynn, Canadianmt@eastlink.ca |
| Annapolis Environment and Ecology (1800 members) | Bev Wigney, bkwigney@gmail.com |
| Save Our Old Forests Association | Rob Bright, robbrightideas@gmail.com |
| Ecojustice | Sean O’Shea, Government Relations and Campaign Specialist, soshea@ecojustice.ca |
| Friends of the Earth Canada | Beatrice Olivastri, CEO beatrice@foecanada.org |
| Prevent Cancer Now | Meg Sears PhD, Chair, meg@preventcancernow.ca |
| Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment | Jane McArthur, PhD, MA, BA (Hons), Toxics Program Director, Jane@cape.ca |
| York Region Environmental Alliance | Gloria Marsh, Executive Director, gloria@yrea.org |
| Pesticide Free Edmonton | Elisabeth Beaubien, e.beaubien24@gmail.com |
