TORONTO, March 14, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Safe Food Matters Inc. (SFM) has retained Andrea Gonsalves of the leading Toronto law firm Stockwoods LLP to take its case on glyphosate to the Federal Court of Canada.
The national food safety non-profit and its president are asking for judicial review of Health Canada’s January 11, 2019 decision not to establish a panel to review the renewed registration of glyphosate, the controversial active ingredient found in Roundup herbicide.
“Andrea is one of the best administrative law litigators in the country, and she is also a vegan. So she is professionally and personally committed to the case. We are very pleased to have her on board,” said Mary Lou McDonald, President of Safe Food Matters.
“At the core of this important case is the regulatory responsibility of Health Canada to prevent and reduce risks to the individual health of Canadians," said Ms. Gonsalves. “Federal legislation recognizes that the use of pest control products poses potential risks to the health, safety and well being of Canadians. The regulatory responsibility can be discharged only if registration decisions for products like glyphosate are properly informed by up-to-date independent scientific research. SFM’s case seeks to hold Health Canada to that standard by having an independent panel conduct a valid, current, evidence-based review of glyphosate.”
In mid-2017, SFM filed a notice of objection (“NoO”) to the regulator’s decision to re-register glyphosate in Canada for another 15 years (or longer). Eight NoOs were filed at the time, and all were rejected on January 11, 2019. SFM filed for judicial review a month later on February 11. https://safefoodmatters.org/2019/02/13/going-to-court/
Safe Food Matters Inc. is a Canadian non-profit organization dedicated to promoting health and protecting the environment through educating and fostering public understanding and engagement on the safety of food production technologies.
Stockwoods LLP is one of Canada’s most-highly regarded litigation boutiques with expertise in civil litigation, administrative law and criminal law advocacy.