Considerations for development of the national strategy on environmental racism and environmental justice

A joint submission by six environmental and legal organizations providing recommendations for Canada's first national strategy on environmental racism and environmental justice. The authors call for disaggregated data collection, the integration of an equity lens across all government departments, the creation of an Office of Environmental Justice, and the centering of Indigenous legal orders to address systemic environmental inequities.

• The authors argue that environmental racism and injustice are systemic in Canada, with racialized and Indigenous communities disproportionately exposed to pollution and climate change. They cite a 2020 UN special rapporteur report describing a "toxic divide" where disadvantaged groups face conditions that would be unacceptable in other parts of the country.
• The submission recommends that the national strategy be comprehensive and not limited to the placement of landfills and polluting industries. It suggests aligning the strategy with the Belem Declaration on Fighting Environmental Racism, which highlights how colonialism and unequal access to decision-making contribute to differential exposure to nature loss, climate hazards, and pollution.
• A critical gap identified is the lack of population exposure data disaggregated by race or income level in Canada. The authors recommend updating the Census of Environment, the Quality of Life Framework, and Canadian environmental sustainability indicators to include an equity lens, and suggest using a geospatial mapping tool similar to the U.S. EPA's "EJScreen".
• The authors propose several guiding principles for the strategy, including the precautionary principle and the 17 Principles of Environmental Justice. They specifically emphasize the need to center Indigenous laws, legal principles, and the First Nations’ OCAP (Ownership, Control, Access, Possession) principles to ensure decisions align with Indigenous rights and jurisdiction.
• The submission calls for a "whole-of-government approach," recommending the creation of a high-level Office of Environmental Justice and the updating of the Cabinet Directive on Strategic Environmental and Economic Assessment (SEAA) to require the analysis of environmental equity in government decision-making.
• The authors highlight concerns that the federal government's intention to expedite major project approvals and the potential for increasing fossil fuel extraction could undermine environmental justice. They specifically mention that the Building Canada Act (Bill C-5) and the Canada-Alberta Memorandum of Understanding may allow major projects to be exempt from federal environmental laws without requirements to prevent discriminatory outcomes.
• To improve enforcement and accountability, the authors suggest making the "citizen enforcement" provisions of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) more accessible and reforming the Environmental Damages Fund so that fines from environmental violations directly benefit the affected communities.

APA

Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (2025). Considerations for development of the national strategy on environmental racism and environmental justice. https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Input-on-EJ-Strategy-Engagement-2025-12-12.pdf

Chicago

Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment. Considerations for development of the national strategy on environmental racism and environmental justice. 2025. https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Input-on-EJ-Strategy-Engagement-2025-12-12.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment |title=Considerations for development of the national strategy on environmental racism and environmental justice |date=12 December 2025 |url=https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Input-on-EJ-Strategy-Engagement-2025-12-12.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{canadianassociationofphysiciansfortheenvironment2025considerations, author = {{Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment}}, title = {{Considerations for development of the national strategy on environmental racism and environmental justice}}, publisher = {Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment}, year = {2025}, month = dec, url = {https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Input-on-EJ-Strategy-Engagement-2025-12-12.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }