Demonstrators gathered in Montreal on Saturday for a “die-in” protest against pesticides, seeking to draw attention to what they view as a weakening of federal regulation of the controversial chemicals.
Attendees, many in costume for Halloween, aimed to drive home the message that “pesticides kill” with an event in front of Health Canada’s offices downtown.
Participants lay on the ground in front of the Guy-Favreau Complex as others garbed in white coveralls moved through the crowd simulating the spraying of pesticides.
Children were invited to trace chalk outlines of the pretend victims, while organizers placed a cardboard coffin and tombstones in front of the building, each bearing the names of various diseases.
Thibault Rehn, executive director of Vigilance OGM, which helped organize the protest, said it was calling out “historic setbacks” by the federal government.
“Pesticides are chemicals that are fundamentally designed to kill — to kill insects, to kill weeds. But they also have enormous impacts on humans, as we’re seeing more and more through scientific research,” he said, noting that the “die-in” sought to draw on the symbolism of Halloween to underscore the health risks.
The organizers criticized legislation known as Bill C-30 passed by the House of Commons in June that allows cabinet to override Health Canada and authorize the use of banned pesticides. A sweeping omnibus bill — Bill C-31 — now under consideration goes further, amending the Pest Control Products Act to end the requisite re-evaluation of registered pesticides every 15 years.
“For us, it’s like granting a lifetime authorization for pesticides, and so we oppose this bill,” Rehn said.
Maude-Hélène Desroches of the Family Farmers Network, which represents organic vegetable farms, stressed the need to “protect biodiversity, our soils, the environment and our waterways.”
“What citizen signed up to eat more pesticides, to drink more of them?” she asked the crowd, speaking into a microphone.
Health Minister Marjorie Michel has dismissed concerns about the legislative changes.
“I would say the health and safety of Canadians will always remain our top priority. But we can do this while supporting our agriculture sector and cutting red tape,” she told the House during question period last week.
The changes proposed in Bill C-31 would allow federal officials to focus on the biggest risks, added Health Department spokesperson Alexandre Bergeron.
“These changes will help reduce backlogs and ensure regulatory resources are focused on higher-risk products and emerging concerns, rather than automatically reviewing products simply because 15 years have passed,” Bergeron said in an email last week.
A petition sponsored by Bloc Québécois legislator Maxime Blanchette-Joncas asking the government to repeal the changes made by Bill C-30 and remove those proposed by C-31 has so far gathered more than 19,000 signatures.
Similar protests in the province on Saturday were planned for Quebec City, Sherbrooke, Saguenay, Terrebonne, Blainville and Val-David as well as in Ottawa.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 31, 2026.
By Coralie Laplante | Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.