SINGLE-USE PLASTICS BAN JUST MORE VIRTUE-SIGNALLING

Toronto, June 21, 2022: The ban on single-use plastics announced by federal Environment and Climate Change Minister Steven Guilbeault promises to be yet another attempted feel-good statement supposed to help the environment. Unfortunately, there will be little if any real positive impact while creating more problems for the functioning of parts of the Canadian economy, according to the Coalition of Concerned Manufacturers and Businesses of Canada (CCMBC).  This announcement follows on the Liberals’ designation of plastics as “toxic” in late 2021 under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act – a ludicrous move in the midst of a pandemic where plastic products were essential to keeping Canadians safe and our hospitals and medical personnel operational.  Plastics also perform essential roles in food packaging to ensure food remains uncontaminated, in many forms of manufacturing that serve environmental purposes such as wind turbines and making lighter motor vehicles that consume less energy to operate, among many more.  The Canadian plastics industry also employs over 100,000 Canadians and contributes more than $35 billion annually to the economy.

Catherine Swift, CCMBC President, stated “The plastics industry has repeatedly shown how sophisticated recycling technology can be used effectively to recycle and reuse plastics products. This approach would be much more practical than bans that disrupt the use of various everyday items and introduce more problems into an economy already struggling to function efficiently”. For instance, the food service industry, still attempting to recover from pandemic damage, has commented that they will have trouble replacing items such as take-out containers because of supply chain issues.  “So much of Canada is just not working well, from the passport and immigration systems to airports, because of bad policy and poor government performance.  Adding another unhelpful policy to further disrupt the operation of various businesses is the last thing Canadians need.” Swift added.

“Policy by virtue-signal has been a hallmark of this Liberal government.  The initial grandiose announcement is made with none of the follow-up hard work on implementation that is needed to have the policy actually be effective. There is no reason to believe the plastics ban is not just another of these glitzy photo-ops with negligeable real impact.” Swift concluded. “Furthermore, the ban risks have even more dysfunction in an economy where so much is already not working properly because of poorly-conceived Liberal policies” she added.

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The CCMBC was formed in 2016 with a mandate to advocate for proactive and innovative policies that are conducive to manufacturing and business retention and safeguarding job growth in Canada.

For further information or to arrange an interview, please contact Catherine Swift at [email protected]

Coalition of Concerned Manufacturers & Businesses of Canada
http://www.ccmbc.ca/

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Coalition of Concerned Manufacturers & Businesses of Canada · 211 Nugget Ave, Toronto, ON M1S 3B1, Canada

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