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

This briefing note from the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment and other health and environmental groups calls for the rapid reintroduction and strengthening of Bill C-28 to modernize the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA), 1999. The document argues that the current law is outdated and fails to address contemporary health threats, such as PFAS and BPA, which disproportionately affect marginalized populations and vulnerable groups.

• The briefing recommends the rapid reintroduction of an improved Bill C-28 as a legislative priority and the implementation of regulations within 100 days to mandate the labelling of chemicals in furniture, cleaners, and cosmetics.
• The document highlights severe public health impacts linked to toxics and pollution in Canada, noting that 15,300 people die prematurely from air pollution annually and that PFAS and BPA are present in 100% and 80% of Canadians' bodies, respectively.
• Environmental and health threats disproportionately affect vulnerable and marginalized groups; for instance, Inuit pregnant women and children have significantly higher body levels of PFAS, and lower-income Canadians are three times more likely to live within one kilometer of a major air pollution source than higher-income individuals.
• Proposed amendments to modernize CEPA should include the legal banning of hormone disruptors, reproductive toxins, and carcinogens (such as PFAS, phthalates, and BPA), the recognition of a human right to a healthy environment, and the requirement to substitute restricted toxic substances with safer alternatives.
• A national poll by Gandalf Group indicates that approximately 78% of Canadians view strengthening protections from toxics as either "somewhat important" (41%) or "very important" (37%) regarding their federal election voting intentions.

APA

Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (n.d.). Modernizing the Canadian Environmental Protection Act — Canada’s pollution and toxics law. https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Joint-CEPA-briefing-note-Nov-2020-updated-August-2021.pdf

Chicago

Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment. Modernizing the Canadian Environmental Protection Act — Canada’s pollution and toxics law. n.d. https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Joint-CEPA-briefing-note-Nov-2020-updated-August-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 |url=https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Joint-CEPA-briefing-note-Nov-2020-updated-August-2021.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{canadianassociationofphysiciansfortheenvironmentndmodernizing, 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}, url = {https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Joint-CEPA-briefing-note-Nov-2020-updated-August-2021.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }