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 But the article has now been retracted, and the credibility of the studies it reviewed are in question.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
New Glyphosate studies find risks with “on-label” preharvest use
Legal limits are exceeded even when spray labels are followed.
Conclusion of the Transformation Agenda: Nothing Transformed
On August 4, 2021, Health Canada announced:
it was pausing proposed increases to pesticide Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs), including for glyphosate
the Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) would receive $42 million over three years “to further strengthen its human and environmental health and safety oversight and protection”- the Transformation Agenda.
Three years later, and $42 million later, nothing has been transformed. The PMRA is consulting on 4 proposed regulations, that do NOT strengthen protection from pesticides. Two of them do nothing, and two actually make matters worse.
This is despite the fact that PMRA received almost 20,000 comments from members of the public on the proposal to increase MRLs of glyphosate. It dismissed 94% of the comments, and intends to carry on as usual.
Proposed MRL Regulation
PMRA says in the consultation document that:
“the current MRL setting process protects human health and does not require changes”.
However, the current process does not protect human health. …Read More
Forest Spraying 3: Forest Fires
Glyphosate is the main pesticide being sprayed on Canadian forests, and it increases the risk of forest fires.
2023 Forest Fires
The 2023 forest fires in Canada were devastating and destructive. Almost 19 million hectares of forest were burned – markedly more than the previous average of 2.5 million hectares. Hundreds of fires exceeded 10,000 hectares and were considered ““megafires”. (NASA Earth Observatory) Some fires smoldered underground and are emerging as “zombies” fires.
Smoke emitted from the wildfires caused air quality alerts and evacuations in Canada and the United States. In late June, 2023, the smoke crossed the Atlantic, reaching Europe.
Contributing Factors
Climate change is considered a contributing factor. Warmer and drier weather makes vegetation more flammable, increasing the risk of fire.
The forest management practise of spraying with glyphosate is also a contributing factor, in at least two respects. First, spraying the forest with glyphosate- based herbicides dries down the forest even more. Second, …Read More
