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June 5th, 2019

Duncan Introduces Landmark Environmental Bill of Rights

OTTAWA - Today, NDP MP Linda Duncan (Edmonton Strathcona) will present ground-breaking legislation to enshrine environmental rights in Canadian law. Duncan’s Private Member’s Bill, C-438, An Act to establish a Canadian Environmental Bill of Rights, will have its first hour of debate in the House of Commons today.

The bill legally safeguards the right of all Canadians to a healthy and ecologically balanced environment and requires the Government of Canada to protect those rights. It gives Canadians the right to access environmental information, participate in decisions impacting their environment and hold the government accountable through calling for investigations and judicial reviews.

“While many of the provinces and territories have enacted a range of environmental rights, this Liberal government has failed to act,” said Duncan. “My bill would give Canadians the rights and tools to hold the federal government accountable for protecting the environment.”

Polls show that 92% of Canadians believe that the Government of Canada should recognize environmental rights. Eighty-eight MPs across all parties and more than 112,000 Canadians have so far signed the Blue Dot Pledge supporting environmental rights. The NDP commits to enact a law to realize environmental rights including ensuring a voice for communities in federal decisions that impact their health and environment.