Good evening.
Environment and Climate Change Canada is the lead federal department for strategic action on a wide range of environmental matters, including action on clean growth and climate change, preventing and managing pollution, conserving nature, and predicting weather and environmental conditions.
The department delivers its mandate through various acts and regulations, such as the Canadian Environmental Protection Act the pollution prevention provisions of the Fisheries Act, the Federal Sustainable Development Act, the Species at Risk Act, the Migratory Birds Convention Act, the Canada Wildlife Act and others.
All nuclear waste projects must undergo a regulatory review—as you know—an environmental assessment and licensing processes. As you also know, the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission plays an integral role in these activities.
Environment and Climate Change Canada is engaged in the review of waste management proposals and technologies as a federal authority under the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, the Impact Assessment Act and, for other regulatory processes, under a memorandum of understanding with the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission. For these, the department provides specialist and expert information on environmental matters related to its mandate.
We also participate in the federal nuclear and science technology committee that directs research on new technologies and processes for radioactive waste management and the monitoring of any discharges to the natural environment.
In 2021, Natural Resources Canada launched the review and modernization of Canada's radioactive waste policy. From November 2020 to May 2021, the department, together with other federal departments with responsibilities related to radioactive waste, participated in Natural Resources Canada's extensive engagement process, which solicited the views and perspectives of indigenous peoples and interested Canadians on how they would like to see the radioactive waste policy modernized.
For the engagement sessions on the radioactive waste policy, Environment and Climate Change Canada was present to listen to concerns raised by stakeholders and to address questions related to its mandate.