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ARTICLE · 29 MARCH 2019

The Impact Assessment Act: A New Narrative For Canadian Environmental Policy?

McCarthy Tétrault
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The politically charged nature of environmental assessments in Canada is no secret.

CanadaEnvironment
Paul Cassidy
Paul Cassidy
Leah Whitworth
Leah Whitworth
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The politically charged nature of environmental assessments in Canada is no secret. Built on a foundation of dual federal and provincial jurisdiction, Canada's regime of environmental regulation is composed of a plethora of overlapping and often conflicting environmental laws. The direction of our environmental policy swings like a pendulum, often dictated by election-day appetites for climate change or economic advancement. The Canadian resource sector is the principal casualty of these tendencies, as each shift backpedals any incremental progression since the last.

It is against this backdrop that the Trudeau Government introduced the Impact Assessment Act (IAA) to Parliament. Included in Bill C-69, which is currently undergoing Senate approval, the IAA is set to replace the current Canadian Environmental Assessment Act (CEAA 2012) and provide a new framework for federal environmental assessment of certain projects.

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