Ottawa/Cobourg – The Council of Canadians, along with organizations representing Canadian farmers, workers, consumers, public health, and sustainable agriculture constituencies have called on Ottawa to support Mexico’s ongoing efforts to ban imports of GMO corn while phasing out the use of glyphosate (trade name Round Up).
On January 9th and 10th, 2023 Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and several Canadian Ministers will be at a tri-national gathering in Mexico City where they will meet with counterparts from Mexico and the United States. On the agenda will be the December 31st, 2020 Decree by Mexico announcing an import ban on GMO corn for human consumption by 2024, along with a phase out of glyphosate. These measures taken by Mexico are to protect small farmers’ livelihoods and provide consumers access to safe and healthy foods. Mexico is corn’s birthplace and corn is central to historical cultural values built into its domestic production and distribution systems.
In a January 5th, 2023 letter directed to Canada’s Prime Minister, and Cabinet members, 28 Canadian organizations underscored the recent expression of public support by hundreds of Mexican organizations and individuals for their government’s efforts to leave behind the “model that devastates the environment and health and instead construct comprehensive public policies … which guarantee Mexico’s production of healthy, nutritious, fair and competitive food in order to achieve food self-sufficiency and food sovereignty.”
The Canadian letter also points out that 80 U.S. organizations recently wrote to key U.S. officials: “…to express our grave concerns regarding a pattern of ongoing interference and pressure exerted by multinational pesticide companies and other agribusiness interests that seek to undermine the Mexican government’s policy decisions to protect its peoples’ health, environment and the integrity of their food and farming systems.”
At the January 9th-10th meeting of the three North American leaders, Canadian organizations call on our government to step up and unequivocally support Mexico’s ongoing efforts to ban imports of GMO corn for public consumption, and to phase out the use of glyphosate in its agriculture.
For media inquiries:
Nikolas Barry-Shaw
Trade and Privatization Campaigner, The Council of Canadians
nbarryshaw@canadians.org
514 825-2263
canadians.org
