G/TBT/N/CAN/661  
6 January 2022  
(22-0057) Page: 1/2 
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade  Original:  English, French  
 
  
NOTIFICATION  
The following notification is being circulated in accordance with Article 10.6  
 
1. Notifying Member:  CANADA   
If applicable, name of local government involved (Article 3.2 and 7.2):   
2. Agency responsible:  Environment and Climate Change Canada  
Name and address (including telephone and fax numbers , email and website 
addresses, if available) of agency or authority designated to handle comments 
regarding the notification shall be indicated if different from ab ove:  
Canada's Notification Authority and Enquiry Point  
Technical Barriers and Regulations Division  
Global Affairs Canada  
111 Sussex Drive  
Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0G2  
Canada  
Telephone: 343 -203-4273 
Fax: 613 -943-0346 
E-mail: enquirypoint@international.gc.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, otherwise national tariff 
heading. ICS numbers may be provided in addition, where applicable):  Refuse 
sacks and bags, of polymers of ethylene (HS Code 3923219010); Sacks and bags, 
including cones, of polymers of ethylene (HS Code 3923299090); Sacks and bags, 
including cones, of plastics (HS Code 3923299000); Utensils, kitchenware, of plastics 
(HS Code 3924100091); Disposable tumblers & cups of plastics (HS Code 3924100093); 
Other disposable tableware, of plastics; and (HS Code 3924100094); Kitchenware, of 
plastics (HS Code 3924100099).; Sacks and bags, incl. c ones, of polymers of ethylene 
(HS 392321); Sacks and bags, incl. cones, of plastics (excl. those of polymers of ethylene) 
(HS 392329); Tableware and kitchenware, of plastics (HS 392410)  
5. Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document:  Single-Use 
Plastics Prohibition Regulations; (108 pages, available in English and French)  
6. Description of content:  The proposed Single -Use Plastic Prohibition Regulations  (the 
proposed Regulations) would prohibit the manufacture, import and sale of six c ategories 
of single -use plastic items (i.e., single -use plastic checkout bags, cutlery, food service 
ware made from or containing problematic plastics, ring carriers, stir sticks and straws). 
Manufacture and import for the purposes of export would not be s ubject to the proposed 
prohibition. Checkout bags, cutlery, and straws have reusable substitutes so the proposed 
Regulations would identify performance standards to differentiate between single -use and 
reusable items for these three product categories. The  Regulations would also provide 
exemptions for straws to accommodate people with disabilities. These exemptions are 
linked to the conditions upon which straws are sold. The prohibitions on sale of straws 
would come into force one year after the regulation' s publication in the Canada Gazette , 
Part II. The prohibition on sale for all other single use items would come into force two G/TBT/N/CAN/661  
 
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  years after the regulations are published in the Canada Gazette , Part II. The prohibitions 
on manufacture and import of all six s ingle use items would come into force one year 
after registration in the Canada Gazette , Part II.  
The six categories of single -use plastic items subject to the proposed Regulations are 
commonly found on Canadian shorelines and terrestrial litter clean -ups. The Government 
estimates that the proposed Regulations would prevent 23,000 tonnes of plastic pollution 
over a period of ten years. A range of evidence sources, including peer -reviewed studies, 
show that the items, when littered, likely pose a threat of h arm to wildlife through 
entanglement, ingestion or habitat disruption.  
The six categories of single -use plastic items also present barriers to fostering a circular 
economy in Canada that would keep plastics in the economy and out of the environment 
because they have low recycling rates, are known to hamper recycling or wastewater 
treatment systems, and have barriers to increasing recycling rates. Eliminating these 
products from the Canadian market would remove key irritants from value rec overy 
systems and improve their efficiency.  
7. Objective and rationale, including the nature of urgent problems where 
applicable:  The objective of the proposed Regulations is to prevent plastic pollution by 
eliminating or restricting the manufacture, impo rt, and sale of six categories of single -use 
plastic items that pose a threat to the environment, are hard to recycle, and have readily 
available alternatives. A Science Assessment of Plastic Pollution prepared by the 
Government of Canada and published in 2020 found that macroplastics in the 
environment pose a threat of harm to wildlife and their habitat, and recommended action 
to reduce macroplastics that end up in the environment, in accordance with the 
precautionary principle; Protection of the environme nt 
8. Relevant documents:   
• Canada Gazette , Part I, 25 December 2021, pages 6177 to 6284, 
https://gazette.gc.ca/rp -pr/p1/2021/2021 -12-25/pdf/g1 -15552.pdf  (available in 
English and French)  
• Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 , sub-section 93(1) : https://laws -
lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/C -15.31/section -93.html   
• Draft Guidance on Alternatives: https://www.canada.ca/en/environment -
climate -change/services/managing -reducing -waste/consultations/proposed -
single -use-plastics -prohibition -regulations -consultation -document.html   
9. Proposed date of adoption:  To be de termined  
Proposed date of entry into force:  To be determined  
10. Final date for comments:  5 March 2022 (70 days from publication in Canada Gazette 
Part I)  
11. Texts available from:  National enquiry point [X] or address, telephone and fax 
numbers and email and website addresses, if available , of other body:   
The electronic version of the regulatory text can be found at:  
https://www.gazette.gc.ca/rp -pr/p1/2021/2021 -12-25/html/reg2 -eng.html   
https://www.gaz ette.gc.ca/rp -pr/p1/2021/2021 -12-25/html/reg2 -fra.html