How are the genetically engineered trees being regulated to ensure environmental safety?
The primary agency that regulates the importation and environmental release of plants with novel traits (PNTs), including genetically engineered (GE) trees, is the Canadian Food Inspection Agency or CFIA (Plant Biosafety Office). Along with the Canadian Forest Service’s already stringent testing regimen, this federal agency administers and enforces the Plant Protection Act and the Seeds Act, which ensure that GE trees can be planted only if they have been assessed as safe for the environment. Through the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999, Environment Canada governs GE trees for uses not covered under CFIA legislation. Federal regulations are the primary filter for the environmental safety assessment of GE trees. Because the majority of Canada’s forests are under provincial jurisdiction, it is the provincial authorities that ultimately decide if GE trees can or can not be planted on Crown land.
