Justice Angela Furlanetto overruled the cabinet order, saying the category of plastic items is too broad to classify material as toxic.
The Federal Court of Canada says it is both “unreasonable and unconstitutional” for the Liberal government to label all plastic-manufactured items as “toxic.”
Justice Angela Furlanetto overruled the cabinet order saying the category of plastic items is too broad to classify material as toxic.
The decision will impact the federal government’s ban on single-use plastics that includes straws, grocery bags and the temporary covering for meat, fruit and vegetables routinely used in stores.
Environment and Climate Change Minister Steven Guilbeault had given grocery stores in Canada until the end of August to address the Trudeau government’s proposed ban on single-use plastics on meat, fruit and vegetables.
The federal government has not publicly stated what that dictate would cost stores and consumers but the environment department has previously said the figure could be as high as $205 million annually.