Bill C-469 (Historical)

Canadian Environmental Bill of Rights

An Act to establish a Canadian Environmental Bill of Rights

This bill was last introduced in the 40th Parliament, 3rd Session, which ended in March 2011.

This bill was previously introduced in the 40th Parliament, 2nd Session.

Sponsor

Linda Duncan  NDP

Introduced as a private member’s bill. (These don’t often become law.)

Status

Outside the Order of Precedence (a private member's bill that hasn't yet won the draw that determines which private member's bills can be debated), as of Oct. 29, 2009
(This bill did not become law.)

Summary

This is from the published bill.

This enactment establishes the Canadian Environmental Bill of Rights whose provisions apply to all decisions emanating from a federal source or related to federal land or a federal work or undertaking. The purpose of this enactment is to
(a) safeguard the right of present and future generations of Canadians to a healthy and ecologically balanced environment;
(b) confirm the Government of Canada’s public trust duty to protect the environment under its jurisdiction;
(c) ensure all Canadians have access to adequate environmental information, justice in an environmental context and effective mechanisms for participating in environmental decision-making;
(d) provide adequate legal protection against reprisals for employees who take action for the purpose of protecting the environment; and
(e) enhance the public confidence in the implementation of environmental law.

Elsewhere

All sorts of information on this bill is available at LEGISinfo, an excellent resource from the Library of Parliament. You can also read the full text of the bill.

Votes

June 16, 2010 Passed That the Bill be now read a second time and referred to the Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development.

Environment and Sustainable Development Committee, on Oct. 27, 2010

  • David Boyd, Adjunct Professor, Resource and Environmental Management, Simon Fraser University, As an Individual
  • Stewart Elgie, Professor, Faculty of Law, University of Ottawa, Associate Director, Institute of the Environment, As an Individual
  • Christian Simard, Executive Director, Nature Québec

Environment and Sustainable Development Committee, on Nov. 1, 2010

  • William Amos, Director, University of Ottawa - Ecojustice Environmental Law Clinic, Ecojustice Canada
  • Beatrice Olivastri, Director, Friends of the Earth Canada
  • Jamie Kneen, Communications Coordinator, MiningWatch Canada
  • Theresa McClenaghan, Executive Director and Counsel, Canadian Environmental Law Association
  • John O'Connor, Chair, Committee on Pollution and the Marine Environment, Canadian Maritime Law Association

Environment and Sustainable Development Committee, on Nov. 15, 2010

  • Michael Broad, President, Shipping Federation of Canada
  • Tom Huffaker, Vice-President, Policy and Environment, Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers
  • Warren Everson, Senior Vice-President, Policy, Canadian Chamber of Commerce
  • Johan van't Hof, Chief Executive Officer, Tonbridge Power Inc., Canadian Chamber of Commerce
  • Shawn Denstedt, Partner, Litigation, Osler, Hoskin, and Harcourt LLP, Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers
  • Anne Legars, Director, Policy and Government Affairs, Shipping Federation of Canada

Environment and Sustainable Development Committee, on Nov. 17, 2010

  • Matthew Firth, Senior Officer, Health, Safety and Environment, Canadian Union of Public Employees
  • Jacob Irving, President, Canadian Hydropower Association
  • Ian Kerr, Vice-President of Development, Brookfield Power Services Inc.; Canadian Hydropower Association

Environment and Sustainable Development Committee, on Nov. 22, 2010

  • Scott Vaughan, Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development, Office of the Auditor General of Canada
  • Gord Miller, Environmental Commissioner of Ontario
  • Kathleen Roussel, Senior General Counsel and Executive Director, Environment Canada, Legal Services, Department of Justice
  • Joseph Melaschenko, Legal Counsel, Environment Canada, Legal Services, Department of Justice
  • Eric Nielsen, Counsel, Public Law Policy Section, Department of Justice

Environment and Sustainable Development Committee, on Dec. 1, 2010

Environment and Sustainable Development Committee, on Dec. 6, 2010

Environment and Sustainable Development Committee, on Dec. 13, 2010

Environment and Sustainable Development Committee, on Dec. 15, 2010

Environment and Sustainable Development Committee, on Feb. 1, 2011

    Environment and Sustainable Development Committee, on Feb. 3, 2011

      Environment and Sustainable Development Committee, on Feb. 8, 2011

      Environment and Sustainable Development Committee, on Feb. 10, 2011

      Environment and Sustainable Development Committee, on Feb. 15, 2011