Canadian Finishing & Coatings Manufacturing Magazine November/December 2021 - 43

PAINT AND COATINGS MANUFACTURING: THE POLITICS OF PAINT
THE POLITICS OF PAINT AHEAD
BY GARY LEROUX
W
hile the recent federal election is now behind us,
the politics may not be. In fact, one could argue it is
very much the same in terms of the Government's
agenda with respect to the chemical industry or
those who rely on chemicals in products for thousands of SKUs.
It's not really about political preferences per se, but about the
new make-up of Parliament. There is a slight change. Now the
party with the most seats, the Liberals, need only rely on one
of the other four parties to pass legislation or amendments to
legislation. Before the election, the Government required the
support of two parties, but in the current configuration, it can
pass amendments with the support of the New Democratic
Party only. It is the party that aligns more closely with the
current Government's agenda with respect to environmental
issues including the proposed amendments to the Canadian
Environmental Protection Act (CEPA). Those amendments, if
passed in their entirety, will greatly alter the formulations in a
wide range of chemical products, including those used in CASE
products.
The main question for the coatings industry and other
sectors relying on chemicals in products is: will the Government
maintain a science-based approach to chemical assessment
in Canada, which relies on the weight of evidence and is riskbased?
Arguably, by and large, that approach has worked well
in Canada over the past 20 years. It has been widely regarded
as positive for both human health and the environment under
the federal Chemicals Management Plan. There have been
other successes as well such as huge VOC emissions reduction
from paint and coatings along with significant improvements
related to environment, health and safety under relevant Acts
and regulations. The paint and coatings industry is among the
strongest when it comes to improved product stewardship on a
number of fronts.
The risk-based approach to chemical assessment, which
industry supports, has been challenged somewhat over the past
several years. It is likely to come under some strain as evidenced
recently in the approach that could effectively ban plastics
and microplastics; more specific targeting of substances of
high concern; chemical 'watch lists' to phase out chemicals of
concern; informed substitution or alternative assessment forcing
new ingredients in product formulations; enhanced supply
chain transparency adding more administrative burden; an
environmental bill of rights; and more. This is only a small list of
new initiatives and all will likely dictate the rules of the road over
the next several years. It might suggest " politics over science "
as the preferred option for chemical assessment in Canada. As
such, industries relying on chemicals for their products will have
more challenges in staying compliant, both in the requirement
to provide increased data to assess chemicals and retaining key
ingredients in formulations for continued product performance
customers demand. That said, the chemical industry in general,
including paint and coatings, has shown it is prepared to continue
its strong focus on sustainability and product stewardship. But
there are limits and those limits may be tested in the coming
months.
The main question for the coatings industry and
other sectors relying on chemicals in products
is: will the Government maintain a sciencebased
approach to chemical assessment in
Canada, which relies on the weight of evidence
and is risk-based?
This new approach to chemical assessment was strongly
supported and advanced by the ENGO community over the past
several years. In the recent election they pressed the political
parties to make their views known on environmental legislation,
especially related to chemicals in products. They canvassed
the parties and asked them if they would, " reform Canada's
environmental laws to prevent exposures to toxins and pollution,
recognize environmental rights, rigorously control genetically
modified animals, ban the most problematic plastics, and hold
plastic producers accountable for the wastes they produce. "
Another in a list of similar questions included: " Will you establish
an office of environmental justice and equity to address the
greater environmental impacts on racialized and marginalized
communities and enact an Environmental Bill of Rights? " We
will soon find out what happens to that new agenda, which the
parties with the majority of seats favored, and what that means
for industry in terms of legislative change.
The parties addressed the questions and it's clear the current
construct in Parliament will likely continue to lean more on
restrictions and bans, with further amendments, which may or
may not always be based on science. Of course, one hopes that
any new approach will in fact be evidence-based and focused on
science at a time when the country and the economy will continue
to be challenged in dealing with pandemic repercussions. These
include determining how the accumulated national debt will
impact businesses in Canada, if raw material supply shortages
will be resolved in the coming year, and more importantly, will
consumers already grappling with inflation and affordability find
some relief.
The only thing that is clear: we are entering uncharted
waters.
Gary LeRoux is President and CEO of the Canadian Paint and
Coatings Association. www.canpaint.com
November/December 2021
43
http://www.canpaint.com
Canadian Finishing & Coatings Manufacturing Magazine November/December 2021

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