“We’re trying to do something that is probably unheard of in the history of the United Nations to come up with a new international treaty, [a] legally binding treaty to ban plastic pollution in two years.”
Canadian Environment and Climate Change Minister Steven Guilbeault and the Trudeau government are appealing to the United Nations for a “legally binding treaty to ban plastic pollution in two years.”
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View on XGuilbeault made the remarks at a news conference Monday explaining other options for the Liberal government to ban single-use plastics.
The Federal Court of Canada said Thursday it is both “unreasonable and unconstitutional” for the Liberal government to label all plastic-manufactured items as “toxic.”
Justice Angela Furlanetto overruled the cabinet order saying the category of plastic items is too broad to classify material as toxic.
But that ruling could be circumvented through the UN.
“We're trying to do something that is probably unheard of in the history of the United Nations to come up with a new international treaty, [a] legally binding treaty to ban plastic pollution in two years.”
“I mean, that's lightspeed for any government,” Guilbeault said at the news conference.
“To adopt a new law in Canada or a new regulation takes about 18 months to 18 to 24 months, and we are trying to come up with a new international treaty in 2024.”
Guilbeault and Trudeau Justice Minister Arif Virani announced Monday that the Trudeau government will appeal the federal court ruling – in Canada.
"Our government intends to appeal the Federal Court's decision and we are exploring all options to continue leading the fight against plastic pollution," reads the statement.
“Canadians are rightly calling for action because the rate of plastic pollution is unsustainable, threatening irreversible harm to the health of our natural world and humanity,” it states.
“We are exploring all options to continue leading the fight against plastic pollution. We will continue working with provinces, territories, civil society, and industry to tackle this growing problem.”
Responding to that appeal, Alberta Environment Minister Rebecca Schulz issued her own statement:
“We will see minister Guilbeault in court.”
The province of Alberta was one of the plaintiffs who challenged the Liberal government’s ban on all single-use plastics.
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