This bill has received Royal Assent and is now law.
Summary
This is from the published bill.
This enactment requires the Minister of the Environment, in consultation or cooperation with any interested persons, bodies, organizations or communities, to develop a national strategy to promote efforts across Canada to address the harm caused by environmental racism. It also provides for reporting requirements in relation to the strategy.
C-226 (2013)
An Act to change the name of the electoral district of New Westminster — Coquitlam
Votes
March 29, 2023Passed 3rd reading and adoption of Bill C-226, An Act respecting the development of a national strategy to assess, prevent and address environmental racism and to advance environmental justice
Feb. 8, 2023Passed Concurrence at report stage of Bill C-226, An Act respecting the development of a national strategy to assess, prevent and address environmental racism and to advance environmental justice
June 22, 2022Passed 2nd reading of Bill C-226, An Act respecting the development of a national strategy to assess, prevent and address environmental racism and to advance environmental justice
This is a computer-generated summary of the speeches below.
Usually it’s accurate, but every now and then it’ll contain inaccuracies or total fabrications.
Bill C-226 aims to create a national strategy to assess, prevent, and address environmental racism and advance environmental justice in Canada. The strategy would involve studying the link between race, socio-economic status, and environmental risk, and would include measures to address environmental racism, such as amending federal laws, compensating affected communities, and collecting health statistics. The responsible minister would be required to table a report on the national strategy within two years and report on its effectiveness every five years.
Green
Supports bill C-226: The Green Party supports Bill C-226, which aims to develop a national strategy to assess, prevent, and address environmental racism and advance environmental justice. Members are optimistic it will become law, given the non-partisan support and the government's expressed support.
Addressing systemic issue: The Green Party recognizes that environmental racism disproportionately affects Black, Indigenous, and racialized communities, as well as those with less economic and political influence. They note that governments have historically placed harmful industries near these communities, leading to negative health and environmental impacts.
Need for action now: The Green Party emphasizes the urgency of addressing environmental racism in Canada, pointing out that the U.S. has had an environmental justice program since 1994. They call for a well-resourced program in Canada that acknowledges environmental racism and empowers marginalized communities to fight for their health.
Operative justice tools: The Green Party emphasizes the need for tools to enforce environmental rights, highlighting the U.S. EPA's Environmental Justice program as a model. These tools empower marginalized communities to access expertise and resources to address environmental injustices.
Conservative
Concerns with national strategies: The member expressed concern over the government's capacity to implement a new national strategy, pointing to the government's poor performance on environmental reports and delays in implementing a suicide prevention line, suggesting that the government is not equipped to handle such an ambitious project.
Uncertainty and complications: The member raised concerns about the potential for the national strategy to add to the complexity of the regulatory environment for project development and the broad powers granted by the legislation, creating uncertainty.
Lack of parameters: The member criticized the lack of parameters around compensation for individuals or communities, calling it an open-ended cheque to the government, particularly the current one.
Existing legislation is preferable: The member suggested that the goals of the bill could be better achieved by amending existing legislation, such as the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, rather than creating a new national strategy.
NDP
Implementing UNDRIP: The NDP sees the bill as a way to ensure that indigenous peoples are engaged in the development of a national strategy and to ensure that Canada complies with article 32 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
Bloc
Concerned about federal overreach: They emphasize that Quebec's environmental protection and land-use planning laws must apply to all Quebec territory, even federal infrastructure, and must not be overridden by federal laws.
Focus on environmental justice: If new policies grant the right to a clean environment, this right should be universal and applied without discrimination to effectively eliminate inequalities based on all differences.
Supports intention of bill: They agree that Parliament should act against environmental inequality and discrimination by studying the issues and exploring possible solutions.
Liberal
Supports bill C-226: The Liberal party supports bill C-226, recognizing the need to address systemic racism and environmental injustice. They see it as aligning with the government's commitment to environmental justice and addressing the disproportionate share of environmental burdens borne by indigenous and racialized communities and those with lower socio-economic status.
National strategy development: The bill outlines components that would be included in a national strategy, such as a study that would include an examination of the link between race, socio-economic status and environmental risk. The strategy would assess, prevent, and address environmental racism, including possible amendments to federal laws, policies, and programs; compensation for individuals or communities; and the collection of information and statistics related to health outcomes in communities located near environmental hazards.
Building on existing efforts: The Liberals see the bill as complementary to other initiatives, such as Bill S-5 (strengthening CEPA) and the Impact Assessment Act, which include provisions for environmental justice, consideration of vulnerable populations, and engagement with indigenous peoples. They are committed to using science and evidence-based decision-making to inform policy actions.
Acknowledging past injustices: Liberal members acknowledged historical examples of environmental racism and injustices based on socio-economic status. These examples highlight the importance of ensuring that government decisions do not disproportionately harm marginalized communities.
