C-230

Details

Full Title

An Act respecting the development of a national strategy to redress environmental racism

First Reading

March 24, 2021, Parliament 43, Session 2

Type

Private Member’s Bill

Full Content

https://www.parl.ca/legisinfo/en/bill/43-2/c-230

Summary

Bill C-230, also known as the National Strategy Respecting Environmental Racism and Environmental Justice Act, aims to address environmental racism in Canada. The bill requires the Minister of the Environment to create a national strategy to deal with the harm caused by environmental racism. This involves working with people, groups, and communities who are interested in the issue, including other government ministers, representatives of governments in Canada, and Indigenous communities.

The national strategy will include a study examining the connection between race, socio-economic status, and environmental risk. It will also gather information and statistics about where environmental hazards are located. Furthermore, the strategy will outline steps to advance environmental justice and prevent environmental racism, such as suggesting changes to federal laws, policies, and programs, involving community groups in environmental policy-making, exploring compensation for affected individuals or communities, and collecting data on the health of communities near environmental hazards.

The Minister must present a report outlining the national strategy to Parliament within two years of the Act coming into effect. This report will also be published on the Department of the Environment's website. Every five years after the initial report, the Minister, after consulting with relevant parties, must prepare a report on the effectiveness of the national strategy, including conclusions and recommendations, and table it in each House of Parliament.

Issues

Environment

• Environmental Protection

  This bill focuses on environmental protection by addressing environmental racism. It seeks to understand the connection between race, socio-economic status, and environmental hazards. The bill requires the Minister of the Environment to develop a national strategy to prevent and address environmental racism, including studying the location of environmental hazards and suggesting changes to federal laws, policies, and programs.

Social Justice

• Reconciliation

  The bill emphasizes the importance of consulting with Indigenous communities in developing the national strategy. It also ensures the strategy aligns with the framework for the Government of Canada's implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. This demonstrates a commitment to reconciliation by addressing environmental racism that disproportionately affects Indigenous communities.

• Income Inequality and Poverty

  The bill identifies a link between socio-economic status and environmental risk, suggesting that lower-income communities may be disproportionately affected by environmental hazards. The national strategy aims to address these inequalities by studying the connection between socio-economic status and environmental risk.

• Racism

  This bill directly addresses racism, specifically environmental racism. It acknowledges that a disproportionate number of people living in environmentally hazardous areas are members of Indigenous, racialized, or marginalized communities. The bill seeks to create a national strategy to assess, prevent, and address environmental racism and promote environmental justice.