Learning Centre Policy Update

Helping Shape National Policy: Input on Canada’s First Ever Environmental Justice Strategy

July 7, 2026

Environmental racism is a known and established issue in Canada. Many Indigenous, racially and ethnically-minoritized communities are disproportionately exposed to environmental hazards, underrepresented in decision-making processes and face barriers in having their experiences and knowledge be seen as valuable expertise in consultations shaping environmental regulations (1).

Aamjiwnaang First Nation, which is surrounded by approximately 40% of Canada’s petrochemical industry, has raised concerns for decades about the elevated levels of the known human carcinogen benzene, along with other hazardous air pollutants, compared to surrounding areas (2). Long-term exposure to these pollutants has been associated with higher cancer risk, respiratory illness, headaches, dizziness, eye and throat irritation, reproductive health concerns, and other adverse health effects (3). Community members have also raised concerns about contamination in local waterways and changes to fish, wildlife, and plant life linked to nearby industrial activity, affecting access to traditional foods and medicines, opportunities for land-based learning, and the exercise of Indigenous rights and responsibilities related to stewardship, harvesting, and cultural practices (3,4,5).  For many Indigenous communities, these environmental harms are inseparable from the ongoing impacts of settler colonialism, affecting relationships with land, water, food systems, cultural practices, and Indigenous self-determination (6). These inequities are further reinforced by jurisdictional gaps, where responsibility for on-reserve environmental conditions is fragmented across governments, limiting accountability and leaving communities without the environmental protections they deserve (7,8).

Black communities in Canada are impacted by both historical and ongoing patterns of siting and infrastructure inequity. For example, the historic community of Africville in Nova Scotia was denied basic infrastructure such as clean water, sewerage, and paved roads for over a century, while numerous polluting facilities, including a dump, were located nearby without their consent (9). The community was ultimately displaced and demolished in the 1960s without consultation (9). The ENRICH Project’s research has mapped how polluting facilities across Nova Scotia continue to cluster near Black and Mi’kmaq communities, reinforcing that this is the result of ongoing environmental racism rather than coincidence (10).

Racialized immigrants and newcomers in urban cities are more likely to live near major roadways and industrial areas, where exposure to air pollution is higher and access to green space is more limited (11). These same communities are overrepresented in frontline and essential occupations, where exposure to heat, air pollution, and other environmental hazards is more frequent (12,13). The chronic stress of living near environmental hazards or experiencing repeated pollution exposure can have lasting psychosocial impacts, including increased risk of depression and anxiety (14). Communities have also raised concerns about climate-related hazards, inadequate green space, extreme heat, and environmental degradation, all of which can undermine quality of life and community resilience.

Women and gender-diverse people may experience compounding environmental health impacts due to intersecting exposures, caregiving responsibilities, workplace conditions, and unequal access to healthcare (13).  These impacts are often intensified for racialized women, who face multiple and overlapping forms of societal inequity. For example, racialized women face a greater risk of exposure to toxic chemicals through personal care and cosmetic products targeted to them, which can potentially include endocrine-disrupting chemicals that interfere with hormonal and reproductive health (15, 16).

In 2023, Canada formally recognized that everyone, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, disability, income, immigration status, or where they live, has the right to a healthy environment (17). Realizing this right requires addressing the environmental health inequities that continue to affect Indigenous, racially and ethnically-minoritized communities across the country.

The Policy Moment We Are In

Community members have long-advocated to address environmental racism in Canada. In June 2024, Bill C-226 passed which mandated that, for the first time ever, Canada develop a national strategy to address environmental racism and advance environmental justice (18). The federal government was given two years to:

  • Identify and address environmental injustices, including environmental racism
  • Improve data collection and transparency on environmental hazards and health outcomes
  • Develop legislative tools and community engagement strategies to reduce disproportionate environmental burdens
  • Strengthen opportunities for community-led action and involvement

The federal government released their draft strategy on June 26th, 2026, and are seeking public input on it from now until August 10, 2026. Your participation can help shape the final strategy which is expected to be released in Fall 2026. After that, they are required to report on the strategy’s effectiveness every five years thereafter.

Key Solutions We Need to Advance Environmental Justice In Canada

While the government’s draft strategy represents a step forward for environmental justice in Canada, many of their proposed actions lack clear implementation mechanisms and enforceability. We propose the following recommendations to help strengthen the strategy’s accountability, durability, and impact:

1. Federal funding for community-led environmental justice education and research

The draft strategy identifies funding as an area for future action, but it does not commit to sustained, dedicated funding that enables communities to build the long-term capacity needed to advance environmental justice. 

Advancing environmental justice requires long-term investment in the communities most affected by environmental harms. Frontline communities, Indigenous nations, grassroots organizations, and researchers need stable, multi-year federal funding to carry out community-engaged environmental justice work. This should include dedicated support for community-led research and biomonitoring in impacted areas. Communities must have the resources to lead their own monitoring efforts and govern their own health data through a data sovereignty approach. Funding should also support community-led education, knowledge mobilization, and public awareness initiatives that build long-term local capacity to advance environmental justice.

2. Establish a federal agency dedicated to researching and addressing environmental health inequities

The draft strategy proposes establishing a dedicated federal team to coordinate environmental justice work, but it does not commit to creating a permanent agency with explicit including researching, monitoring, and publicly reporting on environmental health inequities across Canada. 

Advancing environmental justice requires a permanent, adequately resourced agency with a clear mandate and long-term accountability that cannot be easily dismantled or deprioritized by future governments. Without consistent national data and oversight, it is not possible to design effective, evidence-informed policies that address environmental harms faced by racialized and marginalized communities, particularly with respect to intersectional and cumulative impacts. This agency should be established through a durable governance mechanism that protects environmental justice commitments from political change and supports long-term implementation, ongoing community engagement, and accountability for progress.

3. Release annual accountability reports on environmental justice progress

The draft strategy outlines various priorities and proposed actions, but it lacks measurable objectives, implementation timelines, and performance indicators that would allow Canadians to meaningfully evaluate whether progress is being made. Further, it lacks commitments to frequent public reporting on implementation progress on the strategy as a whole.

Currently, the government is only required to share progress reports every five years, which is too infrequent given the urgency of environmental health harms. Annual reporting would improve transparency, allow for more timely course correction, and ensure that communities affected by pollution and environmental injustice can track progress and meaningfully contribute to policy direction as conditions and evidence evolve. Reports should include progress against publicly available targets, implementation timelines, and outcome indicators so communities can assess whether commitments are translating into meaningful change.

4. Create a mandatory Environmental Justice Analysis tool across all federal departments

The draft strategy commits to integrating environmental justice into federal decision-making, but it stops short of requiring a mandatory, consistent assessment framework to be used across all government departments and agencies.

Modelled after the existing gender-based analysis framework that is currently used by the government, this tool would require all federal departments to assess the environmental justice implications of policies, programs, and investments, including cumulative environmental, health, and social impacts. It would ensure that environmental equity considerations are integrated into decision-making across government. This also requires aligning federal economic and development funding with environmental justice outcomes, rather than continuing to subsidize high-polluting industries that disproportionately harm marginalized communities. The Environmental Justice Analysis tool would also assess cumulative environmental, health, and social impacts, recognizing that communities experience the combined effects of multiple pollution sources, historical exposures, and systemic inequities rather than isolated projects or decisions.

5. Improve access to clear and accountable information and reporting pathways for communities

The draft strategy recognizes the importance of improving access to information and strengthening community engagement, but it does not address the practical barriers communities face when trying to report environmental harms or navigate complex government systems, nor does it establish clear service standards to ensure communities receive timely responses.

Communities need simple, accessible, and well-communicated pathways to engage with the correct government bodies. This includes clear jurisdictional guidance, defined service standards for response times, and better use of trusted communication channels to share information about environmental hazards, product safety, and reporting options. Information should be available in multiple languages and accessible formats to reduce barriers to participation. Many communities currently lack accessible information and support, which undermines trust and limits action. Dedicated federal staff should also be available to support communities through reporting and complaints processes, ensuring concerns are directed appropriately and followed up in a timely and transparent way. Government departments should also publish service standards, response times, and performance metrics so communities can monitor whether concerns are being addressed promptly and consistently.

Here’s How You Can Help

  • Participate in the consultation by reviewing the draft strategy at tinyurl.com/nejsdraft and then emailing in your thoughts/feedback to EJ-JE@ec.gc.ca by August 10, 2026
  • Donate to our organization at ShakeUpTheEstab.org/donate (there is currently no funding available for this work – it is entirely crowdfunded!)
  • Share this fact sheet with your networks and help us engage communities most impacted by environmental health inequities in this work

References

  1. Waldron, I. Environmental Racism and Climate Change: Determinants of Health in Mi’kmaw and African Nova Scotian Communities. Canadian Climate Institute. Published July 22 2021. Accessed July 25 2025. https://climateinstitute.ca/publications/environmental-racism-and-climate-change/
  2. Environmental Science and Standards Division of the Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks. Sarnia Area Environmental Health Project Community Report: Summary of Key Findings. Government of Ontario. Published 2024. Accessed June 25 2026. https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/66f453c85bb0dcec5186ee12/67a11f92e9faa6a0cc477e51_SAEHP-Community-Report.pdf
  3. Environmental Science and Standards Division of the Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks. Sarnia Area Environmental Health Project Environmental Stressors Community Report. Published 2023. Accessed June 25 2026. https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/66f453c85bb0dcec5186ee12/67a120412190a5f498f02ec2_SAEHP-Environmental-Stressors-Community-Report.pdf
  4. Graf, C. New study finds First Nations in Canada face serious problems with food supply. Anishinabek News. Published January 9 2020. Accessed June 30 2026. https://anishinabeknews.ca/2020/01/new-study-finds-first-nations-in-canada-face-serious-problems-with-food-supply/
  5. Pin, L. UN human rights expert hears Chemical Valley concerns. The Sarnia Observer. Updated June 3 2019. Accessed June 30 2026. https://www.theobserver.ca/news/local-news/un-human-rights-expert-hears-chemical-valley-concerns
  6. Sinclair, R. Decolonizing Canada’s Climate Policy. Canadian Climate Institute. Published October 22 2021. Accessed July 1 2026. https://climateinstitute.ca/publications/decolonizing-canadas-climate-policy/
  7. Fryer, S. & Leblanc-Laurendeau, O. Understanding Federal Jurisdiction and First Nations. Library of Parliament. Published November 29 2019. Accessed July 1 2026. https://bdp.parl.ca/staticfiles/PublicWebsite/Home/ResearchPublications/BackgroundPapers/PDF/2019-51-E.pdf
  8. Hafez, S. Colonization is not Good Work: Entanglements of Public Service Labour, Budget Cuts & “Indian Departments”. Yellowhead Institute. Published November 26 2025. Accessed July 1 2026. https://yellowheadinstitute.org/2025/colonization-is-not-good-work/
  9. McRae, M. The Story of Africville. Canadian Museum for Human Rights. Published February 23 2017. Updated April 6 2023. Accessed June 25 2025. https://humanrights.ca/story/story-africville

  10. The ENRICH Project. Map. The ENRICH Project. Accessed June 25 2025. https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/ec958f8d5abc4362b130aa4fd8ac3c7e/page/Map-?views=Communities-

  11. Kershaw, S., Gower, S., Rinner, C., Campbell, M. Identifying inequitable exposure to toxic air pollution in racialized and lower income neighbourhoods to support pollution prevention. Geospatial Health. 2013; 7(2): 265-278. https://www.geospatialhealth.net/index.php/gh/article/view/85/85
  12. Statistics Canada. Impacts on Immigrants and People Designated as Visible Minorities. Government of Canada. Published October 20 2020. Accessed July 1 2026.  https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/11-631-x/2020004/s6-eng.htm
  13.  Human Rights Council. Report of the Special Rapporteur on the implications for human rights of the environmentally sound management and disposal of hazardous substances and wastes. United Nations. Published November 27 2020. Accessed July 1 2026. https://documents.un.org/doc/undoc/gen/g20/328/37/pdf/g2032837.pdf?OpenElement
  14. Pinault, L. et al. The association between ambient air pollution concentrations and psychological distress. Statistics Canada. Published July 29 2020. Accessed July 1 2026. https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/82-003-x/2020007/article/00001-eng.htm
  15. Parnia, A., et al. Environmental factors associated with blood lead among newcomer women from South and East Asia in the Greater Toronto Area. Sci. Total Environ. 2018; 624: 558-566. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969717333946
  16. Collins, H.N. et al. Differences in personal care product use by race/ethnicity among women in California: implications for chemical exposure. J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol. 2023; 33: 292-300. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41370-021-00404-7
  17. Environment and Climate Change Canada. A Right to a Healthy Environment under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999. Government of Canada. Updated August 13 2025. Accessed June 25 2026. https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/canadian-environmental-protection-act-registry/right-to-healthy-environment.html
  18. House of Commons. Bill C-226 (Royal Assent). Parliament of Canada. Published June 20 2024. Accessed June 25 2026. https://www.parl.ca/documentviewer/en/44-1/bill/C-226/royal-assent

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