CropLife Canada’s president and CEO Pierre Petelle recently sent a letter to the Deputy Minister of Health Canada requesting a pause on transformation-related activities at the PMRA.  Here’s the gist of the letter: 

“The agriculture industry – and indeed Canada as a whole – is facing an existential threat from potential tariffs from the U.S. While trying to mitigate the risks from this threat, political and business leaders alike agree that Canada must put a greater emphasis on the things within its control to boost productivity and competitiveness at home. The federal government has gone so far as to pause the increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, recognizing that in the current context this move was not the responsible thing to do. 

Similarly, CropLife Canada leaders think it is critical that the government pause all Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) transformation-related policy work, which as it stands threatens to cripple the regulatory system and drive innovation out of Canada. For almost three years the PMRA has been implementing its so-called ‘Transformation Agenda’, which has seen tens of millions of dollars spent and a ballooning departmental headcount, all while performance has dropped.  

Now, as government leaders focus on managing Canada’s relationship with the U.S., the PMRA is trying to quietly rush to completion a number of policy proposals that could have devastating impacts on Canadian farmers and businesses. This is not the time to keep adding red tape to the regulatory system.  The PMRA needs to immediately pause transformation-related activities and re-focus its efforts to ensure it is regulating for growth in addition to risk to support Canada’s broader efforts to bolster productivity and competitiveness.  It’s imperative that all levels of government be working in unison as the country faces the enormous challenges ahead. As a country, and as an industry, we cannot afford to have bureaucratic processes that are actively undermining the work of both government and industry leaders who are charting a path to prosperity for Canada amidst intense geopolitical uncertainty.”  

Source:  CropLife Canada February 14, 2025 communiqué