CEPA needs a makeover now

Urge all federal parties to further strengthen and advance Bill S-5 through the House of Commons this fall.

It’s been more than 20 years since the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA), the law that protects human health and the environment from pollution and toxics, was last updated.

Since then, sources of pollution and our scientific understanding of risks have changed dramatically. Today, the climate emergency, plastic crisis, and inequitable distribution of pollution make strengthening CEPA an urgent priority.

Bill S-5 offers a workable starting point for much-needed improvements to CEPA. Now we need all federal parties to work together to strengthen the bill and truly deliver on a 21st-century law the defends us from 21st-century threats.

Such a law will better protect the environment and the health of all people in Canada — particularly the Indigenous, Black, and racialized people, workers, and people with disabilities marginalized by successive Canadian governments.

Take action today. Send a letter to your local MP, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, and the Minister of Health urging them to prioritize the passage of a strengthened Bill S-5 into law.