Fight back on the environment and health

Why we need action

Every day, Canadians are exposed to chemicals in the environment. Research has shown that some chemicals may be harmful to our health and possibly cause cancer.

The Canadian Cancer Society is concerned about people’s potential exposure to cancer-causing substances in the environment, our workplaces and in the products that we use. Canadians need more information about their exposure to cancer-causing agents, including more information about ingredients that are in consumer products so that we can make assessments about potential exposure.

What is Community Right to Know?

The principle of Community Right to Know is that we are all, as individuals, entitled to information about chemical hazards present in our environment. We have the right to know about chemicals in our communities; harmful ingredients in products and the health impacts of our occupations and workplaces.

Community Right to Know allows us to make informed decisions and take knowledgeable action about our work and living conditions; empowers us to act as informed consumers and citizens and encourages proactive improvement by businesses and organizations.

What are the key issues?

• Product labelling and hazard disclosure
  Providing a list of all ingredients in a product and stating possible risks associated with them through labelling helps us make more informed decisions about what we buy. The requirement to list all ingredients and identify toxic or cancer-causing substances in all products through labelling is not in place in Canada.
• Community Right to Know laws
  Community Right to Know laws outline our right to information about environmental substances that may affect our health and the responsibility of government to make this kind of information available to us. There is no national Community Right to Know law in Canada.

What is the Society fighting for on this issue?

• The Society supports policy changes or laws that improve how information on hazardous substances is collected, reported, made public and available in a way that it’s easy to understand.
• The Society supports public participation in decision-making about environmental health issues. It is a right recognized by the United Nations.
• The Society strongly supports Community Right to Know. In particular, we believe people have the right to know if they are being exposed to substances that are cancer-causing.

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