In 2014, the federal governing party in Canada was the Conservative Party, renowned for both their extreme hostility to science-based environmental policy, and their friendliness to large businesses in the prairie provinces. No-one with any familiarity with Canadian federal politics expected the Conservatives to lift a finger to ban neonics. This is the same party that made is a fireable offense for federally-employed scientists to speak to the media without prior approval.

What's become unexpectedly shameful is the new government under the Liberal Party elected in late 2015. That party keeps claiming to be in favour of science-based policy, but they've dragged their feet on the neonic issue just as much as the Conservatives. The general consensus is that the Liberals are worried about rural votes in the prairie provinces in the general election to be held later this year, so they're trying to avoid any action that could be perceived as "anti farmer".