On the occasion of the International Week for Alternatives to Pesticides we decided to take another look at this issue. If you don’t know it yet, the Pesticides file is a priority for Parkinson Quebec.
At the beginning of spring, pesticide spraying resumes more and more, putting the health balance of our environment into question every year. A symbolic date… to change that!
Pesticides/Government: Where do we stand?
Vague recommendations……
The members of the parliamentary commission finally reached their verdict in a report with 32 recommendations.
Unfortunately, we were forced to note that there was very little government commitment on this issue when: Exposure to pesticides increases the risk of Parkinson’s disease by almost twice (see report).
In the end, the CAQ members recommend that the ministère de l’Environnement evaluate the means to be put in place to paint a more reliable picture of the pesticide situation in Quebec, but no concrete actions are planned, even though we should have talked about the critical issues and especially about the disclosure of scientific research results.
Quebec’s agriculture minister, André Lamontagne, promised to draw on all the testimony and briefs of the commission for the sustainable agriculture plan to see how this will be integrated into the environmental and public health components.
Here are the two axes that we consider to be our priorities:
- Compensation for people who were exposed to pesticides and subsequently developed Parkinson’s disease.
- Recognition of Parkinson’s disease as an occupational disease.
Discover or rediscover the thesis
Parkinson Québec is the voice of people living with Parkinson’s disease, their loved ones, their caregivers, and especially all Quebecers who are at risk of developing this pathology because of their exposure to pesticides..