Environmental Racism legislation passes into law!
At long last, legislation to address environmental racism has been passed into law!
Bill C-226 passed third reading in the Senate on June 13 and received Royal Assent on June 20. The bill is an Act respecting the development of a national strategy to assess, prevent and address environmental racism and to advance environmental justice.
KAIROS Canada celebrates this landmark achievement made possible by 10 years of dedicated leadership and advocacy from Indigenous and racialized activists and allies in Canada such as the Canadian Coalition for Environmental and Climate Justice (CCECJ), the ENRICH Project, and the Black Environmental Initiative.
Read the joint statement on the passage of the Bill in the Senate from members of the Canadian Coalition for Environmental and Climate Justice in English and French.
This Act will be an effective tool for addressing environmental racism in Indigenous, Black, and other racialized communities across Canada. It will require the government to examine the links between racialization, socio-economic status and environmental risk, and develop Canada’s first national strategy on environmental racism and environmental justice.
Environmental racism refers to the disproportionate siting of polluting industries and other environmental hazards in Indigenous, Black, and other racialized communities, and uneven access to nature and environmental benefits.
KAIROS and its network have urged the government to pass this legislation since 2019. We are grateful for the support, advocacy and persistence of the KAIROS network in advocating for it. Thank you to everyone who signed open letters, sent emails to their MP or to the Senate, and shared information about the bill and the need to redress environmental racism.
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