Environmental health: a key election issue and one that must not be forgotten by the next government

A statement by the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE) urging the next Canadian government to prioritize environmental health through the reform of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) and the reintroduction of Bill C-28.

• The Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE) advocates for the reform of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) and the rapid reintroduction of an improved Bill C-28 (Strengthening Environmental Protection for a Healthier Canada Act), which was introduced on April 13, 2021, but died on the order paper due to the election call.
• Environmental health risks and toxic exposures disproportionately affect specific vulnerable populations, including women, children, Indigenous peoples, people living in poverty, and racialized women who often work in precarious conditions.
• Air pollution is a significant cause of premature death, with nearly 15,000 Canadians dying annually from it. Lower-income Canadians are three times more likely to live near air pollution sources, and 18% of premature deaths globally are attributed to air pollution related to fossil fuels.
• CAPE and its coalition partners seek specific enhancements to Bill C-28, including an unqualified right to a healthy environment not balanced against economic factors, prioritization of toxic substances of concern, assessments of real-life cumulative and synergistic effects of toxics, and stronger enforcement provisions.
• Beyond CEPA reform, CAPE identifies critical government needs including the cessation of all fiscal supports and subsidies to the oil and gas sector by 2022 (including those from Export Development Canada), the end of harmful thermal coal exports, and the inclusion of Indigenous peoples and workers in transition planning.

APA

Admin, C. (2021). Environmental health: a key election issue and one that must not be forgotten by the next government. Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment. https://cape.ca/environmental-health-a-key-election-issue-and-one-that-must-not-be-forgotten-by-the-next-government/

Chicago

Admin, CAPE. Environmental health: a key election issue and one that must not be forgotten by the next government. Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment, 2021. https://cape.ca/environmental-health-a-key-election-issue-and-one-that-must-not-be-forgotten-by-the-next-government/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Admin |first1=CAPE |title=Environmental health: a key election issue and one that must not be forgotten by the next government |publisher=Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment |date=16 September 2021 |url=https://cape.ca/environmental-health-a-key-election-issue-and-one-that-must-not-be-forgotten-by-the-next-government/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{admin2021environmental, author = {Admin, CAPE}, title = {{Environmental health: a key election issue and one that must not be forgotten by the next government}}, publisher = {Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment}, year = {2021}, month = sep, url = {https://cape.ca/environmental-health-a-key-election-issue-and-one-that-must-not-be-forgotten-by-the-next-government/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }