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Call for Nomination to the Challenge Advisory Panel
Subject: Call for Nomination to the Challenge Advisory Panel
To Whom It May Concern:
We are writing to seek your nomination(s) for members to serve on the Challenge Advisory Panel that is being established to provide advice to the Government of Canada on decisions regarding substances in the Chemicals Management Plan's Challenge to industry and other stakeholders. The approximately 200 substances that are priorities for action under the Challenge and that will therefore be reviewed by the Panel include those presenting the highest potential for human exposure and are inherently toxic to humans, or those meeting criteria for persistence, bioaccumulation and inherent toxicity (PBiT) to non-human organisms. For more information on the Challenge, please see http://www.chemicalsubstanceschimiques.gc.ca/challenge-defi/index_e.html.
Environment Canada and Health Canada are seeking to bring together a diverse group of distinguished individuals who have knowledge, expertise, and experience in a variety of fields, such as:
- Application of the precautionary principle as a policy instrument;
- Chemical policies of, and the application of the precautionary principle in, other jurisdictions;
- Chemical substance production, import, and/or use, and associated human health and environmental protection procedures;
- International and/or domestic chemical market economics;
- Environmental and/or human health risk study, policy, and/or communication;
- Environmental and/or biological sciences;
- Environmental health social movements in Canada;
- Health and Aboriginal communities;
- Health and safety issues in the home and workplace, especially regarding chemical substances; and
- Health care planning and/or delivery.
The advice of Panel members will inform the Departments' decision on the application of the precautionary principle under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA 1999). In particular, the Panel will consider precaution in the sense that a lack of full scientific certainty shall not be used as a reason for postponing cost-effective measures to protect the environment and human health. The Panel is not a mechanism for scientific peer review. Draft terms of reference for the Panel are available as Annex A.
Potential candidates for membership should be aware that:
- Members serve on the Panel as knowledgeable individuals in their own right and in the best interest of Canadians. They will not represent their firms, organizations, professions, or affiliations. Stakeholders representing constituencies, industries, or interest groups will have other opportunities to participate and provide comments on the Challenge.
- Members will be compensated for travel and living expenses according to Treasury Board guidelines. Honoraria will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
- Successful candidates will be required to undergo a security screening process, and to sign Confidentiality Agreements and Affiliations and Interests Disclosure Forms. A summary of the disclosed affiliations and interests will be made public; Panel members will have the opportunity to review the summary prior to public disclosure.
- It is expected that the Panel will meet approximately three times per year, with more meetings as needed. Nominees should be prepared to spend additional time to work on Panel business. It is anticipated that one to two days of preparation time would be needed in advance of each meeting.
We encourage you to share this nomination call widely with others whom you think might be interested. Both Canadian and international nominees are welcome. Also, please feel free to advise the Government (see contact information below) if there are others whom you suggest we approach.
Nominations should be submitted using the form Annex B with a short curriculum vitae/biography, by e-mail, facsimile or mail, no later than August 22, 2007, to:
Miriam Padolsky
Risk Management BureauSafe Environments Programme
Healthy Environments and Consumer Safety Branch
Health Canada
269 Laurier Avenue West, A.L. 4905B
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0K9
E-mail: Miriam_Padolsky@hc-sc.gc.ca
Nominees will receive an e-mail informing them if they have been selected for the Panel. If they are successful, they will serve on the Panel for a period of three years, with the possibility of extensions.
The first Panel meeting will be held in the fall of 2007, in Ottawa, Ontario. The schedule for subsequent Panel meetings will be developed in consultation with members of the Panel.
The Chemicals Management Plan's Challenge to industry and other stakeholders is a major and significant environmental and health initiative. Thank you for your interest and consideration in advancing this program.
Yours sincerely,
Deputy Minister
Environment Canada
Deputy Minister
Health Canada
