Modernizing the Canadian Environmental Protection Act — Canada’s pollution and toxics law

The document argues that the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA), 1999, is outdated and fails to address current environmental and health threats, such as the climate emergency and plastic pollution. It highlights the disproportionate impact of toxics on marginalized groups, including Indigenous people and lower-income Canadians, and calls for the implementation of 87 recommendations made by the House of Commons Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development in 2017. The authors advocate for specific amendments to Bill C-28, including the recognition of a human right to a healthy environment, the prohibition of carcinogenic and mutagenic substances, and the establishment of a presumption of non-confidentiality regarding chemical substances.

• The Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA), 1999, has not been significantly amended for over twenty years and is considered outdated in the face of the climate emergency, a global plastic pollution crisis, and a respiratory pandemic.
• Exposure to toxic substances creates significant public health and environmental justice disparities in Canada, with lower-income citizens being three times more likely to live within one kilometer of major air pollution sources than higher-income individuals.
• Specific health impacts of toxics in Canada include PFAS levels that weaken immune systems in Inuit pregnant women and children, and the presence of BPA and PFAS in 80% and 100% of the Canadian population, respectively.
• The briefing proposes several critical amendments to strengthen Bill C-28, including the recognition of a human right to a healthy environment, the closure of loopholes to prohibit carcinogenic, mutagenic, or reproductive toxins, and the removal of barriers to citizen enforcement.

APA

Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (2021). Modernizing the Canadian Environmental Protection Act — Canada’s pollution and toxics law. https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Joint-CEPA-briefing-note-Dec.-2021.pdf

Chicago

Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment. Modernizing the Canadian Environmental Protection Act — Canada’s pollution and toxics law. 2021. https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Joint-CEPA-briefing-note-Dec.-2021.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment |title=Modernizing the Canadian Environmental Protection Act — Canada’s pollution and toxics law |date=December 2021 |url=https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Joint-CEPA-briefing-note-Dec.-2021.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{canadianassociationofphysiciansfortheenvironment2021modernizing, author = {{Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment}}, title = {{Modernizing the Canadian Environmental Protection Act — Canada’s pollution and toxics law}}, institution = {Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment}, year = {2021}, month = dec, url = {https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Joint-CEPA-briefing-note-Dec.-2021.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }