Toronto, Ont./ Traditional territories of several First Nations including the Williams Treaties First Nations, Huron-Wendat, the Anishnaabeg, Haudenosaunee, Chippewas, and the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation — Ecojustice is expressing its concern that the Trump administration’s trade policy, outlined in the United States 2025 National Trade Estimate Report, is using Canada’s Zero Plastic Waste Agenda as another pretext to suggest Canada is not playing fair on trade.
Sean O’Shea, government relations and campaigns specialist at Ecojustice said:
“Plastic pollution is a global problem that has direct impacts on the health of people in Canada and on our environment.
“Canada’s Zero Plastic Waste Agenda includes essential policies such as a ban on single use plastics and working with high-ambition countries to secure a strong global plastic treaty.
“The Trump administration is now targeting Canada’s action on polluting plastics as a trade barrier. His administration is pursuing an agenda which includes a wholesale attack on environmental protection and democratic norms.
“Canada must stand strong and recommit to addressing plastic pollution through maintaining a ban on single use plastics and coordinating with international allies and important trade partners, like the European Union, to pursue a strong global plastics treaty.
“Canada must also focus on developing the reuse and refill infrastructure needed to end our reliance on single-use plastics and packaging materials, including what is sourced from the United States.
“In the face of tariffs from the United States, strong environmental regulations are crucial for Canada to develop new trading relationships and agreements and strengthen existing ones. The European Union, an important trade partner, is taking a leading role in addressing plastic pollution, and it is pivotal that Canada shows similar leadership by continuing to advance its Zero Plastic Waste Agenda.”
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Ecojustice uses the power of the law to defend nature, combat climate change and fight for a healthy environment. Its strategic, public interest lawsuits and advocacy lead to precedent-setting court decisions, law and policy that deliver lasting solutions to Canada’s most urgent environmental problems. As Canada’s largest environmental law charity, Ecojustice operates offices in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Ottawa and Halifax.
