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The government can draw upon lists of products that, for example, the European Union has decided to ban. But “there will be a process,” the official said, including studies that are “based on science,” to decide upon the specifics.

Some Canadian municipalities have already taken the initiative to do more. On Saturday, World Oceans Day, bans on plastic bags and straws took effect in British Columbia in Tofino and Ucluelet on Vancouver Island. In April, Vancouver voted to ban plastic straws, although the ban won’t come into effect until next year. Victoria’s ban of plastic bags was tested and upheld in B.C.’s Supreme Court last summer. A similar ban has been in place in Montreal since mid-2018. That city, the province of Ontario and other jurisdictions are considering wider bans that include other items.

On a national level, more than 30 countries have banned at least some single-use plastics, including France, India and Italy, plus a few states, including New York and California. Plastic bags were outlawed in Bangladesh back in 2002. In Kenya, you can incur a $40,000 fine or spend up to four years in jail for producing or selling plastic bags. Taiwan’s ban on single-use plastics also includes straws, utensils and cups, and is expected to be fully in place by 2030. The European Parliament voted in March to adopt a similarly wide-ranging plan, which would begin to take effect in 2021.

The government official would not spell out how much of Trudeau’s plan would be contingent on regulatory changes versus on legislative measures. If new laws had to be put on the books, the federal Liberal government would not have time to introduce them until after this October’s election, should they be re-elected.

The announcement comes as federal parties gear up for a campaign this fall, with the issue of climate change increasingly top-of-mind for Canadians. The federal NDP under Jagmeet Singh put out its climate plan at the end of May, which included a ban on single-use plastics by 2022. Andrew Scheer’s Conservatives are expected to unveil their climate policy sometime in the next couple of weeks, before Parliament rises for summer.

• Email: mdsmith@postmedia.com | Twitter: mariedanielles