. /.WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/TBT/N/CAN/73
28 August 2003
(03-4486)
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade Original:  English /
                French
NOTIFICATION
The following notification is being circulated in accordance with Article 10.6.
1. Member to Agreement notifying:   CANADA
If applicable, name of local government involved (Articles 3.2 and 7.2):           
2. Agency responsible:   Department of the Environment
Name and address (including telephone and fax numbers, e-mail and web-site
addresses, if available) of  agency or authority designated to handle comments
regarding the notification shall be indicated if different from above:   Canadian Enquiry
Point, 200-270 Albert Street, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, K1P 6N7 Tel.:  +1 613 238 3222,
Fax.: +1 613 569 7808, E-mail: info@scc.ca
3. Notified under Article 2.9.2 [  x ], 2.10.1 [    ], 5.6.2 [    ], 5.7.1 [    ], other:           
4. Products covered (HS or CCCN where applicable, otherwis e national tariff heading.
ICS numbers may be provided in addition, where applicable):   Toxic substances (ICS:
13.020)
5. Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document:   Proposed Addition to
the Virtual Elimination List (pages 2578-2581; English and French)
6. Description of content:   The purpose of this initiative is to propose the addition of
Hexachlorobutadiene (HCBD) to the Virtual Elimination List .
The conclusion of the scientific assessment indicates that HCBD is entering the
environment in a quantity or concentration or under conditions that have or may have an
immediate or long-term harmful effect on the environment or its biological diversity.HCBD was therefore concluded toxic as per paragraph 64( a) of the Canadian
Environmental Protection Act, 1999 ( CEPA 1999).  The proposed Order to add HCBD to
Schedule 1 of CEPA 1999 was published in the Canada Gazette on June 1, 2002
(G/TBT/N/CAN/41).  The propose d addition of HCBD to the Virtual Elimination List
follows recent publication of the final Order adding HCBD to Schedule 1(http://canadagazette.gc.ca/partII/2003/20030813/pdf/g2-13717.pdf ; pages 2063-2068).
This substance also meets the criteria for persistence and bioaccumulation according to the
Persistence and Bioaccumulation Regulations made under CEPA 1999 and is present in the
environment primarily as a result of human activity. Moreover, it is not a naturally
occurring radionuclide or a naturally occurring inorganic substance. Therefore, the
implementation of virtual elimination was proposed pursuant to subsection 77(4) of CEPA1999 in the publication of the summaries of the draft and final Priority Substances
Assessment Reports for HCBD.
Consequently, this initiative propos es the addition of HCBD to the Virtual Elimination List
under subsection 65(2) of CEPA 1999.G/TBT/N/CAN/73
Page 2
7. Objective and rationale, including the na ture of urgent problems where applicable:
Protection of the environment
8. Relevant documents:   Canada Gazette, Part I, 16 August 2003
9. Proposed date of adoption:
Proposed date of entry into force: }not stated
10. Final date for comments:   15 October 2003
11. Texts available from:  National enquiry point [  X ] or address, telephone and fax
numbers, e-mail and web-site addresses, if available of the other body:
The electronic version of the regulatory text can be downloaded at:
http://canadagazette.gc.ca/partI/2003/20030816/pdf/g1-13733.pdf