Canadians reject Trudeau's "reimagined" Canada

Majority of Canadians support local decision-making over centralization of power in Ottawa

TORONTO, July 13, 2021 - According to a new survey released today, Canadians by a margin of two to one do not support Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's plan to "reimagine" Canada by usurping provincial powers over manufacturing, job creation, and waste management systems.

Trudeau signaled at the United Nations last Fall that his government would use the COVID crisis as an "opportunity" to reset Canada. What exactly did he mean? We now have the first glimpse of what this will look like, and the majority of Canadians aren't buying it.

Trudeau's first target is the plastics sector, over which he is exerting total control by designating all plastic manufactured products as being toxic under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA). Every product using plastic could be prohibited from manufacture, sale, export and import at the sole discretion of the Federal Minister of Environment. This draconian measure strips provinces of their constitutional powers over waste management and economic development.

According to an Oraclepoll telephone survey of 2,000 Canadians, nearly two-thirds (62%) want their provincial governments to retain the right to make decisions about what industries and jobs are allowed to exist, and almost seven in ten (69%) want the provinces to continue to be responsible for waste management systems. This sends a clear message that Canadians strongly prefer having their province in charge of building local solutions that meet local needs over a centralized, one-size-fits-all approach imposed by distant Ottawa. [click through to a website with the national results posted: https://fpi.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/EN-Canada-Coalition-Oraclepoll-National-Findings.pdf]

"It is interesting how the Trudeau government is leveraging public concern over plastic litter, a less than one percent problem in Canada, to change the balance of power between the provinces and the federal government and introduce an undemocratic regulatory process that works around the House of Commons and provincial legislature," says Jocelyn Bamford of the Coalition of Concerned Manufacturers and Businesses.

Provincial governments are taking a stand on Trudeau's "reimagined" Canada. Five provinces representing 77% of Canada's population - Quebec, Ontario, Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan - have explicitly expressed opposition to this federal overreach. And challenges - both in the courts and under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement - are anticipated. [click through to time stamp testimony of Alberta Minister - 17:12:20 - 17:14:38 - https://parlvu.parl.gc.ca/Harmony/en/PowerBrowser/PowerBrowserV2/20210428/-1/35292?Language=English&Stream=Video]

Canada is the only country in the world to have declared plastic toxic.

"The Federal Government's heavy-handed approach to strip power from the provinces is entirely unnecessary," says Joe Hruska, spokesperson for the Canada Coalition of Plastic Producers. "Since 2018, the provinces have been working collaboratively with the federal government to implement a Zero Plastic Waste Strategy. Considerable progress has been made across a number of initiatives including Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), expanded blue box recovery, adoption of new recycling technologies, improvements to sorting systems; all to build a robust Circular Economy. The approach gives the provinces the flexibility needed to tailor solutions to their unique needs."

Marc Robitaille, Quebec spokesperson for the Coalition, warns that "what we've seen so far in the 'reimagined' Canada is a recipe for economic disaster. Whole segments of our industry will be put out of business, thousands of jobs will be lost, investment will dry up." Robitaille also explained that "The plan bans exports. The loss of Canadian and international markets will put Canadian manufacturers and distributors out of business and eliminate the jobs of employees that support their families."

About the study
A total of N=2000 telephone interviews were completed between May 27th and June 4th, 2021, with residents across Canada, 18 years of age or older. All surveys were conducted by live operators using computer-assisted techniques of telephone interviewing (CATI) and random number selection (RDD). The margin of error for the total N=2000 sample is ± 2.1%, 19 times out of 20.

About the Canada Coalition of Plastic Producers

The Canada Coalition of Plastic Producers brings together members of the plastic packaging supply chain, including both resin manufacturers and converters. The Coalition is committed to advocating on behalf of the plastic food packaging industry, which ensures food and beverage products are supplied to consumers in a sanitary, economically sound, and sustainable manner.
Link: http://www.canadacoalitionofplasticproducers.org/

About the Coalition of Concerned Manufacturers and Businesses

The Coalition of Concerned Manufacturers and Businesses of Canada was formed in 2016 with a mandate to advocate for proactive and innovative policies that are conducive to manufacturing, business and job retention as well as economic growth and prosperity in Canada.
Link: Coalition of Concerned Manufacturers & Businesses of Canada (ccmbc.ca)

The national survey results are available online at https://fpi.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/EN-Canada-Coalition-Oraclepoll-National-Findings.pdf

"At the United Nations, Prime Minister Trudeau talked about a re-imagined Canada. He said that "The pandemic has provided an opportunity for a reset" of economic systems and an opportunity "to accelerate our pre-pandemic efforts." First target for the economic restructuring has been Canada's plastics sector with the federal government declaring plastic toxic in the Canadian Environmental Protection Act. The toxic designation allows the Federal government to override provincial jurisdiction over their local economy and centralizes decisions regarding job creation in Ottawa, what plastic products can be manufactured locally, what companies can stay in business, and what products are banned. The result will be plant closures, job losses, and a loss of future investment in the provinces due to a loss of local control."

Q1. Based on this information, would you prefer that decisions about your provincial economy and what industries and jobs are allowed to exist be made by the federal government or by your provincial government?

Provincial - 62%
Federal - 30%
Unsure - 8%

More than six in ten or 62% said they prefer their provincial government to make decisions about their provincial economy and what industries and jobs are allowed to exist, compared to only three in ten that named the federal government, while 8% were unsure.

SOURCE Canada Coalition of Plastic Producers