The Government of Canada is consulting Canadians on its latest proposal to protect bees and other pollinators from exposure to imidacloprid, a neonicotinoid pesticide.

Health Canada's scientific assessment of imidacloprid found that there are some uses of imidacloprid that may pose a risk to bees.

The government is proposing significant restrictions on the use of imidacloprid products to protect bees and other pollinators.

These proposed restrictions include the cancellation of some uses, restrictions on the timing of use, and new product labels.

Consultations on this proposed decision will be open to the public for 90 days.

Comments received during this consultation will be considered along with input from previous consultations, including separate restrictions that were proposed in 2016 to protect aquatic insects.

Health Canada expects to publish a final decision on the overall use of imidacloprid in Canada in December 2018.

Three important neonicotinoids are currently approved for agricultural use in Canada: imidacloprid, clothianidin, and thiamethoxam. Re-evaluations are currently under way for all three pesticides.