Glyphosate will be under scrutiny by Canada ‘s Federal Court of Appeal on December 9, 2021.  Safe Food Matters Inc. wants a review of the 2017 decision that allowed the product to stay registered in Canada for another 15 plus years.

This case differs from other glyphosate cases. This one is about the actions of the regulator, the Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA), not about whether the chemical causes cancer.

Mary Lou McDonald, President of Safe Food Matters Inc. stated:

“We don’t think PMRA performed a valid assessment of glyphosate before making its registration decision. We gave them a notice with detailed and thoughtful objections, backed up with credible science and scientific rationale, and PMRA just dismissed them out of hand. We are asking the Court to look at what PMRA did, to hold them to account for proper decision-making.”

Mary Lou McDonald, President, Safe Food Matters Inc.

If the Court agrees, a review panel could be but in place to review the 2017 decision to re-register glyphosate.

Safe Food Matters first sued the PMRA in Federal Court in 2019, and did not prevail. It took on the appeal because it thinks recent decisions of the Supreme Court of Canada supports its position. Friends of the Earth Canada, Environmental Defence and David Suzuki Foundation (represented by Ecojustice) agree, and are acting as intervenors. Andrea Gonsalves of Stockwoods, LLP is representing Safe Food Matters.

Safe Food Matters is seeking assistance to cover legal costs for its case. It is a small Canadian non-profit, founded in 2016, working to improve regulatory policies to better protect human health and the environment.  Please help by contributing to its GoFund Me, or providing a direct email transfer to safefoodmatters@gmail.com.

The hearing can be accessed remotely unless the Court orders otherwise. Please write to Information@fca-caf.gc.ca <Information@fca-caf.gc.ca>  and provide: Case name: Safe Food Matters Inc. and AG of Canada; Case number: A-85-20 and Hearing Date: December 9, 2021. Instructions on how to join the remote hearing will be sent by email.  Taking photos or screen captures during the course of the hearing is prohibited as is the broadcast or distribution of recordings of the hearing, in whole or in part.

A Backgrounder to the Appeal can be found here.

For Media Inquiries: email Mary Lou McDonald safefoodmatters@gmail.com

 

 

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