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The move by Canada comes as countries and cities across the world have been seeking to ban or phase out the use of plastic products, and plastic bags in particular. In March New York State announced plans for a ban on most types of single-use plastic bags for retail sales after similar bans in California and Hawaii.

Mr. Trudeau noted that Canada threw away 8 billion Canadian dollars’ worth of plastic material each year. According to Environment and Climate Change Canada, the national environmental agency, that includes more than 34 million plastic bags each day. By recycling and reusing plastic, Mr. Trudeau said, the country could reduce pollution, create 42,000 jobs and protect the environment.

Mr. Trudeau’s announcement comes as he is gearing up for a general election at the end of this year, in which climate change and the environment are expected to figure prominently and are viewed as issues that resonate with voters, in particular the younger generation.

The government said it would undertake scientific analysis before determining which plastic products to ban as early as 2021. But Mr. Trudeau said Canada expected to follow the example of the European Union, which voted in March to ban 10 single-use plastics that most often end up in the ocean, including plastic cutlery, plates and cotton-swab sticks.

The bloc introduced the legislation after its research showed that plastics made up 80 percent of marine litter on European beaches, threatening the coastal environment.