MPs will soon vote on Canada’s first environmental racism law. A National Strategy to Redress Environmental Racism (Bill C-230) was introduced in the House of Commons on February 26, 2020, by Lenore Zann, the MP for Cumberland-Colchester, and moved forward to second reading on December 8, 2020. The debate at second reading continues on March 24, 2021, after which the bill will be voted on. If passed, Bill C-230 would require the federal environment minister to develop a strategy to redress environmental racism and prepare regular reports to Parliament. Sign and share this petition to tell Canada’s leaders that we need to redress environmental racism across Canada. In addition to Bill C-230, Canada has an opportunity to address environmental racism through Bill C-15 (An Act respecting the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples) and the modernization of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act. Learn more about how these three pieces of legislation could bring about change if fully implemented. Learn more about Bill C-15 and the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. What is environmental racism? Environmental racism is the term for policies, practices, institutions, decisions, and laws that discriminate against communities where the majority of residents are Black, Indigenous, and people of colour by harming the air, land, water, biodiversity — or people’s ability to connect with and have access to these. In other words, Indigenous and racialized communities are more likely to have exposure to contamination and pollution from industry and are not in positions of power to resist the placement of these polluting industries in their communities. In 2020, a report from the UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights implications of hazardous substances and wastes confirmed what many advocates have known all along – that Indigenous, Black, racialized and other marginalized communities in Canada are exposed to disproportionate adverse health impacts from pollution. |