An Act to enact the Canadian Environmental Bill of Rights and to make related amendments to other Acts
Sponsor: Richard Cannings, Member of Parliament (South Okanagan—West Kootenay)
Proposed changes
This enactment enacts the Canadian Environmental Bill of Rights , which provides that every person residing in Canada has the following rights: (a) the right to a healthy and ecologically balanced environment; (b) the right to reasonable, timely and affordable access to information regarding the environment; (c) the right to effective, informed and timely public participation in decision-making regarding the environment, including in relation to any Act of Parliament respecting the environment and any environmental policy of the Government of Canada; (d) the right to bring a matter regarding the protection of the environment before courts or tribunals; and (e) the right to request a review of any Act of Parliament respecting the environment, any instrument made under such an Act or any environmental policy of the Government of Canada.
The enactment amends the Auditor General Act to allow petitions for the review of any Act of Parliament to be made respecting the environment, any instrument made under such an Act or any environmental policy of the Government of Canada. The enactment amends the Federal Courts Act to allow an application for judicial review to be made by a person not directly affected by the matter in respect of which relief is sought if certain conditions are met, including the condition that the matter relate to the protection of the environment. Finally, this enactment also amends the Canadian Bill of Rights to provide that the right of the individual to life, liberty and security of the person includes the right to a healthy and ecologically balanced environment.