The Tables Have Turned on Glyphosate for Health Canada
Photo by Kalyan Sak on Unsplash
Health Canada’s Glyphosate Conclusion On Cancer Untenable
A review article by Williams, Kroes Munroe was used by Health Canada to buttress its conclusion that glyphosate is “unlikely to pose a human cancer risk.” But the article has now been retracted, and the credibility of the studies it reviewed are in question.
Weight of evidence not there
When PMRA re-registered glyphosate in 2017, its review for “chronic toxicity/ oncogenicity” consisted of 6 studies – five in its database, plus a CD-1 mouse study authored by Knezevich and Hogan.
Three of the six were part of the now-retracted Williams review, and their credibility is in issue. That leaves three.
In one of these three (PMRA #1161786), PMRA found “equivocal evidence of oncogenicity” – meaning the cancer finding was …Read More
Mad Dog Case on Glyphosate: PMRA Refuses Action on New Science
Health Canada dismisses significance of new science, including forest studies, leaving Safe Food Matters to consider further action.
Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) has decided to not take any steps regarding the registration of glyphosate, even after the Court ordered it to look at new science.
Safe Food Matters is reviewing PMRA’s decision to do nothing and is considering next steps.
PMRA took the decision, even though it was aware of new science from the Ramazinni institute that shows glyphosate causes cancer, and even though it was aware of risks to peoples who eat forest food from Safe Food Matters’ report that shows high levels of glyphosate arise in berries after forest spraying and that Indigenous peoples (and others) eat these berries.
The PMRA was told by the Federal Court on March 3, 2025, to redetermine the application for renewal of a glyphosate product, Mad Dog Plus, withing 6 months (by August …Read More
Ramazzini Results Require PMRA Response: Glyphosate & Products Cause Cancer
PMRA previously dismissed cancer evidence, but a recent Federal Court win means PMRA should respond to this new science in August 2025.
New Report Shows Repeat Spraying of BC and New Brunswick Forests, Contrary to Federal Approval
New Report Shows Repeat Spraying of BC and New Brunswick Forests, Contrary to Federal Approval
Raising risks to Indigenous people, others who eat forest food
TORONTO, March 28, 2025 — A new report shows pesticides are sprayed on Canadian forests up to 7 times in the forestry cycle, not just once – as assumed in Health Canada’s approval for spraying. It also shows the risks to people eating forest foods, including Indigenous people and foragers, have not been assessed.
The report, written by Safe Food Matters Inc., presents data compiled by the Wilderness Committee and Stop Spraying New Brunswick showing cutblocks in New Brunswick and British Columbia have been sprayed 2, 3 or more times with glyphosate, the main pesticide used in forestry. It presents evidence that many Indigenous people eat forest foods, putting them at risk.
Recent science from the University of Northern BC shows glyphosate accumulates and persists for years in forest plants like berries and roots. When asked about the science, the Pest Management …Read More
Open Letter to Health Minister: Cancel Forest Spraying
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 …Read More
Win on Glyphosate Product Case!
“Trust us, we got it right” isn’t good enough. Safe Food Matters and friends won in the glyphosate product renewal case, when on February 18 the Federal Court uled that the renewal of a pesticide product used in forestry and agriculture was not reasonable because Health Canada’s decision-making was not adequate.
Glyphosate Product: Safe Food Matters back in court
On January 22, 2025, Safe Food Matters will be in court again, fighting over glyphosate. Our original – still ongoing -lawsuit was about Health Canada’s decision to register glyphosate (“Registration Decision”), and this one is about the 5 year renewal of a product that contains the pesticide. Details on how to attend in person or watch are at the end of this piece.
This fight is about the product “Mad Dog Plus”, and the fact that the Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) routinely renews products, on a 5 year basis, without looking into new science on risks arising after major registration decisions.
In 2022 a coalition of groups, us included, provided the PMRA with a list of studies on glyphosate showing new risks, and it appears PMRA did not look into them – at least they couldn’t provide any evidence to show they did.
Mad Dog Plus is used on crops, forests, and …Read More
The Morrissey Report: Health Canada worked with Bayer to discredit valid science
Professor Christy Morrisey published several papers showing high levels of neonicotinoids in Canadian wetlands, including imidacloprid. She also provided unpublished data to Health Canada.
A ban was proposed in 2016 by the Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) of Health Canada, partly based on her data. It found “the continued high volume use of imidacloprid in agricultural areas is not sustainable”. (PRVD 2016-20)
But then the PMRA turned around and gave the unpublished data to Bayer, without the consent or knowledge of Morrissey. Bayer commissioned a report that called Morrissey’s studies and data “irrelevant” (because GPS coordinates for testing had not been provided).
Bayer also redid her testing, but under different conditions, and provided new water monitoring data that inflated the sample size to lower the concentrations.
Then, in 2021, the PMRA reversed its proposed ban, citing in part the Bayer provided data (Re-evaluation Decision RVD 2021-05 May 19, 2021).
Breach of Principles
This behaviour by PMRA …Read More
Capture of Health Canada by Syngenta – Abamectin
In the story of abamectin, there is evidence of capture: from PMRA working with Syngenta to set up the first residue levels, to PMRA discounting valid scientific findings, to accepting Syngenta’s spurious scientific rationale even when it runs against PMRA’s own policy, to not disclosing information that could damage the proposals requested by Syngenta.
New Glyphosate studies find risks with “on-label” preharvest use
Legal limits are exceeded even when spray labels are followed.
