In June 2017, the federal government released its Environmental and Regulatory Reviews Discussion Paper, outlining its proposed plans for reform in environmental assessment, as well as other key environmental laws. The government has repeatedly promised that the new environmental assessment law will restore public trust in how Canada’s natural resources are developed, but a number of environmental groups are concerned that the new legislation will fall well short of meeting that promise.
This letter to Environment Minister Catherine McKenna and Natural Resources Minister James Carr summarizes the key features that the groups will be looking for in Canada’s new environmental assessment legislation.
Signatories include: West Coast Environmental Law Association, Nature Canada, MiningWatch Canada, Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS Canada) and Centre québécois du droit de l’environnement.