What We’ve Been up To

The month of April brought many opportunities for policy advocacy. Our most significant policy push was our advocacy around Bill S-5, which will update the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999. We have been working with the Canadian Environmental Law Association to provide analysis, critique, and alternative approaches to this law update.
 
The proposed updates to the law will not adequately enable effective public involvement in the regulation of toxic substances. The proposed updates also fail to provide strong legislation that ensures the Right to a Healthy Environment, by way of conflicting language and barriers to existing remedies in the original legislation. The classification system for toxic substances is also going to be reconfigured, which risks legal uncertainty and certain toxic chemicals of concern no longer being subject to prohibition.
 
 We hope to have an opportunity to appear as witnesses at the Senate committee meetings that are currently underway. You can access the letters sent by MbEN and CELA here.