National Strategy to Redress Environmental Racism Act
| National Strategy to Redress Environmental Racism Act | |
|---|---|
| Parliament of Canada | |
| |
| Territorial extent | Canada |
| Enacted by | Parliament of Canada |
| Legislative history | |
| Bill title | C-230 |
| Introduced by | Lenore Zann |
| Second reading | March 24, 2021 |
The National Strategy to Redress Environmental Racism Act (Bill C-230, 2020; French: Loi concernant l’élaboration d’une stratégie nationale visant à remédier au racisme environnemental) is a proposed law before the Parliament of Canada. A private member's bill proposed by Cumberland—Colchester MP Lenore Zann, it has currently passed second reading in the House of Commons.
Summary
[edit]If passed, the bill would require the federal Minister of the Environment to create a national strategy to tackle environmental racism within two years.[1] It includes provisions for the government to collect statistical information on the links between race, socioeconomic status, health outcomes, and environmental hazards.[2]
Legislative history
[edit]Zann had previously proposed a similar bill to the Nova Scotia House of Assembly in 2017, when she served as an MLA, however it did not pass.[3] She had worked with Dalhousie University professor Ingrid Waldron on writing the bill.[4]
Elected as a federal MP with the Liberal Party of Canada in 2019, Zann introduced a federal version of the act as a private member's bill to the House of Commons in February 2020. The bill was seconded by Green Party leader Elizabeth May.[5] After the federal parliament was prorogued from August to September 2020, the bill was reinstated to the new session of parliament.[6] On the 24th of March 2021, the bill passed its second reading in the House of Commons by a vote of 182 to 153, being referred to the Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development before third reading.[7]
References
[edit]- ^ Lee, Angela (27 April 2021). "Bill C-230 marks an important first step in addressing environmental racism in Canada". The Conversation.
- ^ Reid, Tashauna (23 March 2021). "The movement to address environmental racism is growing. This bill could provide the data it needs". CBC News.
- ^ Schneidereit, Paul (26 February 2020). "Zann goes national with fight against environmental racism". Saltwire.
- ^ Bein, Sierra (15 June 2020). "Private member's bill addressing environmental racism in Canada to come to floor when Parliament returns". The Globe and Mail.
- ^ Carkner, Cat (18 November 2020). "Bill C-230: Confronting Environmental Racism in Canada". McGill Policy Association.
- ^ Khan, Sabaa (10 March 2021). "Why Canada needs a law to combat environmental racism". National Observer.
- ^ Vittal, Priyanka (22 March 2021). "Feds have opportunity to finally address environmental racism". The Hill Times.