The coronavirus pandemic ended the fad of the war on single-use plastics in much of the developed world.

Municipalities across North America ended their bans on plastic shopping bags as retailers became concerned that re-usable grocery bags could become a source of disease transmission. Even Loblaws and Walmart temporarily ended fees for plastic bags to try and encourage customers to leave their dirty, potentially dangerous, reusable bag at home. 

Recently, the Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University studied the effects of the pandemic on plastics use. The survey found that:

“...29% of respondents feel they are buying more plastic packaged goods during COVID … As such, 55% of respondents are more concerned about food safety since COVID – particularly female, urban, and respondents in BC and the Atlantic.”

When the virus struck, single-use plastics made us safer. But do you think that’s stopped Justin Trudeau’s Liberals? Nope!

The Liberals are proceeding with their ban on single-use plastics, listing them as a schedule one toxin along with lead, CFCs, and mercury.

According to a Blacklock’s Reporter article from June, plastics sales are worth $35 billion a year in Canada.

A later Blacklock’s article detailed the limited impact that a Canadian-wide ban on single-use plastics would have on actual pollution:

“Canada accounts for about four-tenths of one percent of ocean plastic pollution worldwide” continuing, “Canadian shores are not a major global source of marine plastic litter,” said the newly-released 2019 report by the Library of Parliament entitled Global Marine Plastic Pollution: Sources, Solutions and Canada’s Role”.

Our plastic use is not a major contributor to global pollution, and single-use plastics are helping mitigate pandemic safety concerns — so why is Justin Trudeau still demanding plastic bags, straws, and cutlery be phased out by the end of 2021?