Re. Bill S-5, Strengthening Environmental Protection for a Healthier Canada Act

A joint statement and news release from several environmental and health organizations, including the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment, urging the Canadian Senate and House of Commons to prioritize, strengthen, and pass Bill S-5 to modernize the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA).

• Environmental and health organizations argue that the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) is outdated, having not been significantly amended for over two decades, and fails to address modern risks such as the climate emergency, global plastic pollution, and the respiratory illness pandemic.
• The signing organizations view Bill S-5 as a "workable starting point" but argue it is not a comprehensive update. They recommend five specific amendments: recognizing the right to a healthy environment, prioritizing the prohibition of high-concern toxic substances, assessing cumulative environmental and health risks, establishing clear timelines for substance assessment and "safer substitution," and raising the bar for confidentiality claims to increase public data access.
• The groups emphasize that a modernized CEPA is essential for protecting vulnerable populations—including Indigenous people, women, workers, and racialized communities—and serves as a necessary foundation for a just transition to a clean and inclusive economy.
• The organizations highlight a gap between Canada and other nations, noting that Canada is among the countries that do not currently have a legal right to a healthy environment in federal law, unlike 156 other countries worldwide.

APA

Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (2022). Re. Bill S-5, Strengthening Environmental Protection for a Healthier Canada Act. https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Strengthening-S-5-letter-2022-02-15.pdf

Chicago

Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment. Re. Bill S-5, Strengthening Environmental Protection for a Healthier Canada Act. 2022. https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Strengthening-S-5-letter-2022-02-15.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment |title=Re. Bill S-5, Strengthening Environmental Protection for a Healthier Canada Act |date=17 February 2022 |url=https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Strengthening-S-5-letter-2022-02-15.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{canadianassociationofphysiciansfortheenvironment2022bill, author = {{Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment}}, title = {{Re. Bill S-5, Strengthening Environmental Protection for a Healthier Canada Act}}, publisher = {Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment}, year = {2022}, month = feb, url = {https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Strengthening-S-5-letter-2022-02-15.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }