Neonicotinoid pesticides (neonics) are widely believed to be the most effective chemical insecticides and in one study their usage was linked to a 70% crop increase in the United States. Yet numerous scientists have pointed to their lethal impact on beneficial insects like the honeybee. According to a study published in the National Library of Medicine, “neonicotinoids can affect the reproduction, foraging, and flying ability of honeybee and other insects including pollinators.” Many believe they are a principle contributor colony collapse disorder. The EU banned three key neonicotinoids (imidacloprid, clothianidin and thiamethoxamin) 2013 and, starting in 2026, will prohibit imports of products containing even trace amounts. In North America, there are partial bans in Ontario, Quebec, Illinois, New York, Rhode Island and California. So far, the federal  governments of Canada and the United States have not taken action. 

Green Party leader Elizabeth May has brought this issue before the House of Commons many times since 2014, often requesting that Canada follow the lead of the European Union, exercise the precautionary principle, and remove the authorizations for neonicotinoid insecticide use within Canada. May raised this issue once again on the  snowy evening of December 4, 2025. 

“We desperately need pollinators for the health of ecosystems and for agriculture. If we lose them, it will be a multi-billion dollar hit to the economy. This is not to mention that these chemicals are dangerous, as I said, to human health and the environment. We should have banned these pesticides by now.”

She mentioned a series of articles in Canada’s National Observer that suggest “the Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) of the Government of Canada had colluded with Bayer, the manufacturer of neonicotinoid insecticides.”

A more recent article in the National Observer states that Canada has a 15 year schedule for re-evaluating pesticides:

“Only one has been completed: in 2016, the agency finalized its health review of imidacloprid (the full review was completed in 2021), one of Canada’s three most common neonics and the pesticide that prompted health warnings from European and California regulators. That assessment concluded there could be neurodevelopmental problems linked to high doses of imidacloprid, but the regulator had not obtained test results for low-and mid-level doses and said it wasn’t concerned about the missing data.”  

May said that since she last raised the neonic issue in the House, “A huge coalition of environmental and health protection groups, with independent scientific support, have been asking the federal Minister of Health to at least temporarily ban the toxic insecticides known as neonicotinoid insecticides until an independent panel of experts can determine whether the benefits outweigh the known risks.”

In response, Paul Chiang, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, defended the integrity of the PMRA’s scientific processes. 

“PMRA scientists are professionals who use their expertise to support Health Canada’s mandate when it comes to pesticides. They make decisions that are guided by rigorous scientific principles and rooted in objective scientific evidence. PMRA’s scientific staff are experts in their fields and believe in the importance of their work and its impact on Canadians and the environment. Casting doubt on the integrity and independence of their work undermines their professionalism.”

He pointed to two specific actions: “Public consultations are required on all proposed major decisions and do not compromise PMRA’s decisions. In 2016, a proposal to cancel all uses of imidacloprid was shared with the public, based on various data, including from academics. This consultation generated numerous comments and new information.”

“In 2017, a multi-stakeholder forum was created to address data gaps and gather new water-monitoring data. Since then, substantial water-monitoring data and new scientific papers were reviewed to inform the PMRA’s final decision. The analysis showed that, with additional protective measures, some uses could continue safely, while others would be cancelled.”

Elizabeth May responded, “Madam Speaker, I am sorry to have to say that, wherever the honourable member said ‘robust,’ the correct adjective is ‘lax.’ When he said the pest management regulatory agency uses science, I would have to say it is colluding with industry at every stage.”

Chiang replied, “The regulatory decision by PMRA on imidacloprid was supported by data from registrants, provincial and federal governments, academia, non-governmental organizations, grower groups and open literature. This decision was open to public consultation for 120 days, which ended in March 2017, and resulted in approximately 46,000 comments.”

May did not accept this assessment, “I have had a lot of experience with PMRA. It is not listening to science. It is as if toxic chemicals in this country have constitutional rights and are innocent until proven guilty, while the rest of us are exposed to unacceptable risks.”

Links of Interest:

• Neonicotinoids: risks to bees confirmed – European Food Safety Authority
• Canada approved neonic pesticides with outdated studies on human health – Canada’s National Observer
• Articles about colony collapse disorder

Top image credit: Honeybees – Photo by Paul Rollings via Flickr (CC BY SA)

Sign-up for Cortes Currents email-out:

To receive an emailed catalogue of articles on Cortes Currents, send a (blank) email to subscribe to your desired frequency:

Weekly Digest cortescurrents – [email protected]

Daily, (articles posted during the last 24 hours) – [email protected]