Public Registry
One of the mandates of the Pest Control Products Act is to increase transparency in the pesticide registration system. A key mechanism for meeting this mandate is the Pesticide Public Registry.
The Public Registry is a collection of non-confidential information on pesticides and the pesticide regulatory system. All publicly available information on currently registered pesticides is available here.
The Public Registry is made up of the following components:
Pesticide Product Information Database
The Pesticide Product Information Database was developed to allow interested members of the public to browse information on specific products, active ingredients, or programs related to pesticides that are regulated by Health Canada.
The reports in the Database are grouped under headings that reflect the status of the pesticide product, active ingredient or program:
- Applications to register or amend the registration of a pesticide
- Products under re-evaluation
- Registered products
- Active ingredients
- Programs and special actions, including:
- Research authorizations
- Products under reconsideration
- Minor Use applications
- Incident Reports.
For help on the reports available through the Pesticide Product Information Database, please contact the Pest Management Information Service.
The Database is updated every 24 hours to reflect changes such as the receipt of new applications and the posting of reports and other documents. This update occurs between 2:30 and 3:30 a.m. and during this time the registry reports section may be unavailable for browsing.
If you require an accessible version of a document made available through the Pesticide Product Information Database, please send an email to PMRA Web Coordination-Coordination du Web de l'ARLA@hc-sc.gc.ca. Please allow at least 48 hours for a response.
Regulatory and Policy Documents
There are a number of regulatory and policy documents that are used in the regulation and registration of pesticides. The documents in this section provide details on the policies that guide our regulatory activities, and offer guidance to pesticide manufacturers and users.
The proposed and final regulations for the new Act and reports on international harmonization activities are also available.
Policies, Guidelines and Codes of Practice
The Pest Management Regulatory Agency has a series of regulatory documents that are addressed to stakeholders. These documents detail Health Canada's guidelines, policies and regulation proposals related to pesticides. Also included are documents detailing issues related to science or other regulations.
International Harmonization Activities
Below is a list of the reports concerning international harmonization activities related to the regulation of pest control products. More information on Health Canada's international activities regarding pesticides can be found in Advisory Bodies and Partnerships.
Public Involvement
The Pest Control Products Act offers several different opportunities for the public to participate in the regulatory process. Under the Act, the public is able to:
Inspect Confidential Test Data
Prior to making a registration decision, Health Canada reviews the scientific test data submitted by pesticide companies. To prevent data manipulation, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development developed an internationally accepted set of Test Guidelines and Principles of Good Laboratory Practices (GLP) to promote the quality and validity of test data. The Good Laboratory Practices cover the organizational process and conditions under which non-clinical studies are planned, performed, monitored, recorded and reported. Independent trail audits can be conducted under the GLP guidelines at anytime to verify integrity of data.
GLP applies to all testing of pesticides to obtain data on their properties and/or safety with respect to human health or the environment, for the purpose of supporting an application for registration or a research permit. Studies covered by GLP include field studies as well as laboratory studies.
Following the data review, Health Canada conducts a health and environmental risk assessment and a value assessment based on these data. Through the Reading Room, the public now has the opportunity to inspect the confidential test data supporting the decision to register a new pesticide active ingredient, or a major amendment, re-evaluation or special review of a registered pesticide.
Inspection of test data is a new opportunity provided by the Pest Control Products Act (PCPA) to facilitate transparency and public participation in the registration decision-making process. The data is available for inspection upon request in the Reading Room, located at the Health Canada Pest Management Regulatory Agency headquarters in Ottawa.
You are encouraged to review the consultation and decision documents, which summarizes the information that was evaluated and the reasons for the decision. If you would like to inspect the test data, please follow the process outlined in the Guidance Document Inspection of Confidential Test Data Supporting Pesticide Registration Decisions.
Request a Reconsideration of Decision
Under the PCPA, you have the opportunity to file a Notice of Objection after a decision statement of a major registration decision is made public. Reconsideration of decisions can only be requested on major registration decisions such as:
- Granting or denying applications to register a new active ingredient
- Registering or amending major new uses, and
- Amending or cancelling registrations following a re-evaluation or special review.
Decision statements that qualify for a reconsideration of decision will be identified. Decisions on which Health Canada has consulted the public, under subsection 28(1) of the PCPA, qualify for requests for reconsideration.
If, after reviewing the decision statement and the evaluation reports in the Public Registry and/or the data in the Reading Room, you believe there is a scientific basis for reconsidering a regulatory decision, you may file a Notice of Objection. You have 60 days from the decision date to submit a Notice of Objection along with the scientific rationale for it.
Health Canada will then review the request and will consider establishing a review panel to examine the regulatory decision in question. Objections must have a valid rationale and be science-based.
For additional information on the reconsideration of decision process, consult the fact sheet "Getting involved in Canada's pesticide regulatory process."
Request a Special Review
The Act includes a new provision for the initiation of special reviews of the registration of a pest control product. A special review may be initiated if there is scientific evidence that the health or environmental risks or the value of the product are unacceptable.
Special reviews can be triggered by new scientific evidence provided by other federal or provincial departments, a member country of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, or from the public.
To request a Special Review of a pest control product, send your scientific evidence via email to the Pest Management Regulatory Agency.
Health Canada will review the new scientific evidence and decide on the appropriate course of action.
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