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

The submission argues that Canada's first environmental justice strategy must move beyond focusing solely on landfills and polluting industries to address systemic laws, policies, and practices. The authors emphasize the need for disaggregated population exposure data, the integration of an equity lens across all government departments, and the centering of Indigenous legal orders. They specifically warn that expedited approvals for major projects and increased fossil fuel extraction could exacerbate environmental racism if the strategy is not robustly implemented and resourced.

• The authors argue that the national strategy must be comprehensive and not limited to the 'establishing of environmentally hazardous sites, including landfills and polluting industries', as these are only two examples of how racialized and Indigenous communities are disadvantaged.
• There is a significant gap in Canadian data because population exposure information is not typically broken down by income level or race, and environmental indicators rarely use an equity lens. The authors suggest updating the Census of Environment and the Quality of Life Framework to address this.
• The submission recommends that the strategy be guided by the precautionary principle, the 17 Principles of Environmental Justice, and Indigenous legal principles, including the First Nations’ OCAP (Ownership, Control, Access, Possession) principles.
• The authors express concern that the federal government's goal to speed up approvals for major projects and the potential for more fossil fuel infrastructure could undermine environmental justice, noting that the Building Canada Act (Bill C-5) and the Canada-Alberta Memorandum of Understanding may allow projects to bypass federal environmental laws without requirements to prevent discriminatory outcomes.
• To ensure a 'whole-of-government' approach, the organizations recommend updating the Cabinet Directive on Strategic Environmental and Economic Assessment (SEAA) to require equity analysis and establishing a high-level Office of Environmental Justice.
• The submission calls for reforms to the Environmental Damages Fund to ensure that fines from environmental violations directly benefit the communities affected by the harm.

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} }