BRIEF: Bill C-226, An Act respecting the development of a national strategy to assess, prevent and address environmental racism and to advance environmental justice

The Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE) advocates for the passage of Bill C-226, arguing that environmental racism creates 'pollution hotspots' that disproportionately harm the health of Indigenous and racialized communities. CAPE links these exposures to severe health outcomes, including cancer and respiratory illnesses, and calls for a national strategy that integrates planetary health and Traditional Knowledge to address these systemic injustices.

• CAPE argues that environmental racism is driven by systemic factors, including a capitalist economy, legislation that fails to protect BIPOC and Indigenous communities, and institutional mandates that are not uniformly held accountable.
• The document identifies a 'toxic divide' in Canada where marginalized and Indigenous groups are subjected to environmental conditions that would be unacceptable in other parts of the country.
• Fracking operations in Northern BC are associated with respiratory illnesses, neurological effects, cardiovascular diseases, and childhood leukemia, while also contributing to methane emissions.
• The Aamjiwnaang First Nation in Ontario faces high rates of birth anomalies, cancer, and learning disabilities due to petrochemical emissions; specifically, sulphur dioxide is linked to respiratory disease.
• Indigenous communities in northwestern Ontario suffer from a lack of clean water and food insecurity caused by climate change's impact on wildlife migratory patterns and winter roads.
• CAPE highlights a significant lack of funding for biomedical health research specifically targeting environmental racism, climate change, and environmental health.

APA

Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (2024). BRIEF: Bill C-226, An Act respecting the development of a national strategy to assess, prevent and address environmental racism and to advance environmental justice. https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/CAPE-Brief-Re_-Bill-C-226-ENEV-Study.pdf

Chicago

Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment. BRIEF: Bill C-226, An Act respecting the development of a national strategy to assess, prevent and address environmental racism and to advance environmental justice. 2024. https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/CAPE-Brief-Re_-Bill-C-226-ENEV-Study.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment |title=BRIEF: Bill C-226, An Act respecting the development of a national strategy to assess, prevent and address environmental racism and to advance environmental justice |date=13 March 2024 |url=https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/CAPE-Brief-Re_-Bill-C-226-ENEV-Study.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{canadianassociationofphysiciansfortheenvironment2024brief, author = {{Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment}}, title = {{BRIEF: Bill C-226, An Act respecting the development of a national strategy to assess, prevent and address environmental racism and to advance environmental justice}}, institution = {Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment}, year = {2024}, month = mar, url = {https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/CAPE-Brief-Re_-Bill-C-226-ENEV-Study.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }