Moving the needle on CEPA modernization: Key provisions in Bill S-5

Published by: David Suzuki Foundation and partners
Authored by: Lisa Gue, Elaine MacDonald, Cassie Barker, Jennifer Beeman, Jane E. McArthur
Partners: EcoJustice, Environmental Defence, Breast Cancer Action Quebec, Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment

Environmental rights right to a healthy environment, climate change, human health and wellbeing

Bill S-5 is an important step toward modernizing CEPA. It was introduced in the Senate in February 2022, and then in the House in September 2022. Senate and House committees studied the bill and passed amendments that improve its core provisions, addressing some, though not all, of our recommendations.

While Bill S-5 does not address all aspects of CEPA in need of modernization, it makes important progress in relation to recognizing the right to a healthy environment, and updating Canada’s legislative framework for assessing and managing toxic substances.