Terms of reference: Pest Management Regulatory Agency Transformation Steering Committee

Last updated: March 19, 2022

1.0 Introduction

On August 4, 2021, the Government of Canada announced a $50 million investment over three years to strengthen Canada's pesticide regulatory system, by increasing availability of independent data to better inform pesticide review decisions and the transparency of the process and decisions; and to accelerate research and facilitate adoption of alternative pest management solutions.

Health Canada's Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA), Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC), and Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) are committed to realizing the commitments from the August 4, 2021 announcement through the following actions:

• Targeted review of the Pest Control Products Act (PCPA) to support greater transparency and balance how pesticide review processes are initiated
• Increase transparency in pesticide regulatory system to provide Canadians with a clearer understanding of the regulatory process and factors underpinning decisions, and improve access to confidential data
• Creation of a Science Advisory Committee (expert panel) to provide PMRA with independent scientific advice to support evidenced-based decision making
• Strengthen protection of human health and the environment through improved business processes, including the introduction of a continuous and risk-based oversight approach over the full pesticide lifecycle
• Develop and implement water monitoring framework to measure pesticide concentrations in Canadian's lakes, rivers, wetlands and groundwater
• Expand pesticide use data and analysis to improve the accuracy of pesticide data underpinning pesticide regulatory decisions
• Accelerate research and facilitate adoption of alternative pest management solutions

The Transformation Steering Committee (TSC) will provide a key consultation mechanism to set the context for the broader Transformation agenda, solicit feedback on the specific consultation questions to inform potential changes to the PCPA and identify technical issues to be discussed in technical working groups.

The PMRA retains full decision authority on the targeted legislative review consultation process.

2.0 Mandate

To provide feedback on potential changes to the Pest Control Products Act focusing on the questions identified in the Discussion Document Further Strengthening Protection of Health and the Environment: Targeted Review of the Pest Control Products Act and identify technical issues to be discussed in technical working groups established as part of the PMRA's Transformation engagement process.

3.0 Membership

The TSC's composition aims to provide balanced representation from key stakeholder groups and partners. Members were invited to join considering their experience and knowledge with the work of PMRA and include representation from provincial and territorial governments, registrants, industry associations, growers and other user groups, non-governmental organizations, Indigenous organizations and academia. Members participate on a voluntary basis.

Additional officials from key federal partners including AAFC, ECCC, and Health Canada's Regulatory Operations and Enforcement Branch (ROEB) will also participate.

3.1 Factors considered

To ensure broad and diverse perspectives are heard during this consultation process, the following factors were considered to guide the composition of the Steering Committee:

• the national scope of the organization
• regional representation in the case of academia for instance
• a history of engagement with PMRA
• extensive experience in regulatory fields and knowledge of the Pest Control Products Act
• professional scientific expertise and experience in the domains of agriculture and other uses and environmental and/or human health
• Balanced representation for a range of vantage points including industry, agriculture users, non-agriculture users, Indigenous organizations, academia, provinces, and non-governmental organizations

4.0 Transparency and communications

Use of either of Canada's Official Languages (French or English) is encouraged.

PMRA is committed to openness and transparency as an operating principle. Therefore, these terms of reference will be made public, and the TSC meetings will be included in the calendar of events. Meetings materials and any documents shared by Health Canada or by the members will be made available upon request.

Information, views and opinions shared with PMRA will not be treated confidentially by PMRA. PMRA will not accept correspondence or documents marked as confidential in this context. Meeting notes or documents provided to PMRA may be released, including in the context of requests under the Access to Information Act.

The personal information you provide to PMRA is collected pursuant to section 4 of the Department of Health Act and the Pest Control Products Act, and is governed in accordance with the Privacy Act.

For more information refer to the Information and privacy notice specific to the Transformation Agenda of the Pest Management Regulatory Agency posted on Canada.ca.

5.0 Duration

The TSC will be in existence for the duration of the consultation period on the targeted PCPA review. Its term could be extended beyond that period should there be an interest and a need, as engagement is expected to continue on the remaining pillars of the Transformation.

In the context of the targeted PCPA review, PMRA anticipates two initial TSC meetings in the first 4 weeks following the launch of the targeted PCPA review with additional meetings to follow as needed.

• Session 1: to set the stage for the Transformation Agenda, key issues, proposed measures, and introduce specific questions to inform the targeted review of the PCPA. Discussions would focus on areas specified in the document and specific questions for feedback.
• Session 2: will delve into the issues, proposed measures and the specific questions to inform the targeted review of the PCPA.