Implementing the Precautionary Principle in Urban Pest Management: The Quebec Experience

Abstract

In Canada, the regulation of pesticides is a jurisdiction shared between federal, provincial and municipal governments. In Quebec, the sale of household insecticides increased by almost 600% between 1970 and 1990. The government adopted a code in April 2003 respecting pesticide management in urban environments. This article focuses on the factors that influenced policy-makers when adopting these green regulations. The data were gathered during a four-month observation period at the Quebec Ministry of Sustainable Development, Environment and Parks. More than 200 documents were analyzed and four key individuals were interviewed. In Quebec, pesticide management in urban settings represents a case in which decision-making was largely based on the precautionary principle. Thus, the potentially harmful effects of pesticides on human health and the environment took precedence over impacts on the economy. A number of pesticide manufacturers recently launched a challenge to these regulations, basing their claims on the free trade rules set out under chapter 11 of NAFTA. Nevertheless, other Canadian provinces have decided to adopt legislation governing the use of pesticides for aesthetic purposes.