Canada’s Environmental Protection Act is being rewritten. The federal government calls it renewed and updated legislation.
Bill S-5 is the proposed CEPA reform. Act to Strengthen Environmental Protection for a Healthier CanadaMinister of Environment and Climate Change Steven Guilbeault introduced the ‘, on February 9, 2009.
Bill S-5 will modernize 1999 Canadian Environmental Protection ActYou may also make additional changes to the Food and Drugs Act.
A Federal government releases February 9th noted that CEPA has been used to “prevent microbeads from entering our water, ban asbestos, and prohibit the use of BPA (bisphenol A) in baby bottles.”
“All Canadians expect and deserve a healthy environment,” Guilbeault told reporters during Wednesdays announcement. “This bill is a big step towards strengthening the protection of Canadians’ health and the health of the lakes, rivers, lands, and forests we all love.”
Guilbeault added that Bill S-5 is one of the federal governments top legislative priorities, while calling on “all Parliamentarians to work together to see this bill passed into law for Canadians as soon as possible.”
For Senator Stan Kutcher, who sponsored Bill C-5, the move will “help us all become better stewards of our environment, making Canada a better place for us and the generations that follow.”
Human rights include creating a healthy environment
The bill will “introduce the right to a healthy environment for the first time in a federal statute in Canada,” while “emphasizing the protection of vulnerable Canadians who may be more predominantly exposed to harmful chemicals.”
The revised CEPA legislation would require the Minister for Environment and Climate Change (Minister of Environment and Climate Change) to report annually on the implementation of a framework that allows governments to protect people’s right to a healthy and safe environment.
The revised bill would also “require that risk assessments consider real life exposure to the cumulative effects of substances on Canadians or the environment,” while also creating a new publicly available “Watch List” of substances Canadians should avoid. It would also move to “reduce, refine, or replace the use of animal testing.”
In Bill S-5, the federal government would reaffirm their commitment to implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
For Minister of Health, Jean-Yves Duclos, the revised bill will continue strengthening CEPA, while updating the legislation to reflect the “science on chemicals and their effects on human health.”
Laurel Collins, NDP environment critic, feels that the bill does not go far enough to protect Canadians against toxic substances.
Collins, who is the representative of Victoria’s constituency, WarnedThe proposed bill contains limitations on Canadians’ rights to a healthy environment. There are also significant loopholes that are serious concerns.
“We are concerned that this bill will allow government to make politically motivated decisions that override the scientific evidence when it comes to dangerous substances,” Collins warned. “If we actually want to protect the environment, we must follow the advice of scientists and environmental experts not the advice of big corporations.”
“The Liberals have made a lot of empty promises about protecting the environment and fighting climate change. But when it comes down to it, they fail to act,” she noted.
NDP tables bill to give people more power than CEOs in mitigating climate crises
On February 8, New Democrats introduced their own legislation, asking the federal government not to stow the money of shareholders and CEOs but to put people first.
ChurchillKeewatinook Aski MP Niki Ashley presented a private member bill during a press conference. An Act to amend Canada Infrastructure Bank Act. Ashton noted the Liberals must demonstrate a sense of urgency, in the wake of “the record heat waves, droughts, flooding, and other extreme weather conditions” that have resulted in the loss of homes, communities, and ultimately lives to the climate crisis.
According to the NDP, the bill would “change the mandate of the Canada Infrastructure Bank by making the fight against the climate crisis its priority,” by delivering support and resources to already marginalized communities disproportionately at risk of suffering negative impacts of climate change, “such as Indigenous and Northern communities.”
The NDP Write that Bill C-245 “will put public interest ahead of the profits of the ultra-rich by allowing Canada to leverage public investment and public ownership in the fight against climate change.”
Ashtons bill would remove “the part of the Canada Infrastructure Banks mandate that allows it to seek out private investment in the interest of rich CEOs,” while encouraging the federal government to “fund public projects that foster climate change mitigation and adaptation.”
The bill would also require greater transparency through regular updates to assess its efficacy.
Bea Bruske (President of the Canadian Labour Congress, CLC) endorsed the plan of New Democrats. Say it Canadas Infrastructure Bank is “being used to privatize infrastructure through private-public partnerships that do not work for workers or communities.”
She said that instead of focusing on climate mitigation, the bank should eliminate private, profit-oriented investment.