| National Strategy to Redress Environmental Racism Act | |
|---|---|
| Parliament of Canada | |
Long title
| |
| 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
If passed, the bill would require the federal Minister of the Environment to create a national strategy to tackle environmental racism within two years. It includes provisions for the government to collect statistical information on the links between race, socioeconomic status, health outcomes, and environmental hazards.
Legislative history
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. She had worked with Dalhousie University professor Ingrid Waldron on writing the bill.
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. After the federal parliament was prorogued from August to September 2020, the bill was reinstated to the new session of parliament. 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.
References
- 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.