National Strategy Respecting Environmental Racism and Environmental Justice Act

The National Strategy Respecting Environmental Racism and Environmental Justice Act, enacted in 2024, aims to address environmental racism and advance environmental justice across Canada. The Act recognizes the disproportionate impact of environmentally hazardous sites on marginalized communities and commits to assessing, preventing, and addressing environmental racism. A national strategy must be developed by the Minister of Environment, involving consultation with interested parties and Indigenous communities, to promote environmental justice and assess and prevent environmental racism. The strategy will include a study examining the link between race, socio-economic status, and environmental risk, as well as measures to advance environmental justice and address environmental racism through amendments to federal laws and policies, community involvement in environmental policy-making, compensation for individuals or communities, and collection of information on health outcomes near environmental hazards. Reports on the national strategy must be tabled in Parliament within two years of its implementation and every five years thereafter, assessing its effectiveness and recommending changes.