Canada's Chemicals Plan Needs Stable Funding

0:00It's March 25th. This is Canada News Today, AI-powered stories from your city. I'm Cory with the story. Canada's Chemicals Management Plan has spent the past 20 years safeguarding people and the environment from dangerous chemicals. This key federal program screens thousands of substances to identify risks and phase out the worst ones. It's not a name most folks know, but it plays a huge role under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act. Lately though, the program faces big hurdles from its funding setup. Short-term cycles make it tough to plan ahead or hire experts steadily. Environmental groups say this unpredictability slows down progress on tackling toxic exposures. Experts from outfits like environmental defense, eco-justice, the David Suzuki Foundation, and the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment are raising the alarm. They argue that protecting public health from chemicals is a core government duty and shaky budgets undermine that trust. These advocates are pushing for a fix in the next federal budget, calling for multi-year

1:03stable funding to keep the momentum going. Officials like Environment Minister Julie Dapperson have heard similar pleas before. With toxic threats not going away, steady support can make a real difference in cleaner air, water, and safer products for everyone.