| Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Parliament of Canada | |
| |
| Citation | S.C. 1999, c. 33 |
| Enacted by | Parliament of Canada |
| Assented to | September 14, 1999 |
| Commenced | March 31, 2000 |
| Legislative history | |
| Bill citation | Bill C-32 |
| Introduced by | Christine Stewart, Minister of the Environment |
| First reading | March 12, 1998 |
| Second reading | April 28, 1998 |
| Third reading | June 1, 1999 |
| First reading | June 2, 1999 |
| Second reading | June 8, 1999 |
| Third reading | September 13, 1999 |
| Repeals | |
| Canadian Environmental Protection Act (c. 16, R.S.C. 1985 (4th Supp.)) | |
| Summary | |
| Legislative summary | |
The Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA, 1999; French: Loi canadienne sur la protection de l'environnement (1999)) is an act of the 36th Parliament of Canada, whose goal is to contribute to sustainable development through pollution prevention and to protect the environment, human life and health from the risks associated with toxic substances. It covers a diversity of activities that can affect human health and the environment, and acts to address any pollution issues not covered by other federal laws. As such, the act is a "catch all" piece of legislation that ensures potentially toxic substances are not inadvertently exempt from federal oversight as a result of unforeseen legislative loopholes.
The act also recognizes the contribution of pollution prevention and the management and control of toxic substances and hazardous waste to reducing threats to Canada's ecosystems and biological diversity.
It acknowledges, for the first time, the need to virtually eliminate the most persistent toxic substances that remain in the environment for extended periods of time before breaking down and bioaccumulative toxic substances that accumulate within living organisms.
Two federal ministries, Health Canada and Environment and Climate Change Canada as they were known in 2022, work in partnership to assess potentially toxic substances and to develop regulations to control toxic substances.
Section 93 of the act provides the authority to the federal government to make regulations to restrict and manage the Canadian List of Toxic Substances (LOTS).[1] Toxic substances have characteristics outlined in Section 64.[2] Once a regulation is proposed, interested parties have 60 days to provide comments on the proposed instrument or may file a notice of objection requesting that a board of review be established.[2]
- ^ "Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (S.C. 1999, c. 33, s. 93)".
- ^ a b "What Does Toxic Mean under CEPA 1999?" (PDF). Environment Canada. April 2005.