A new report released June 23 on the federal Impact Assessment Act (IAA) reveals challenges with its implementation, and sets out recommendations for ensuring that the law lives up to its promise.
Enacted in 2019 to fulfil election campaign commitments to introduce new, fair environmental review processes for new industrial projects and proposals, the Act is intended to foster sustainability, avoid adverse effects and respect the rights of Indigenous Peoples. “Is Canada’s Impact Assessment Act Working?” demonstrates that the IAA lacks clear guidance to ensure those goals are met.
The report shows that the Act is being applied to only a handful of projects per year, leaving thousands of projects unassessed, including high carbon projects like in-situ oil sands and fracking operations. The report authors recommend requiring all risky projects to undergo federal assessment, and establishing a climate test to help Canada meet its climate commitments.
The report notes that while the Act allows all members of the public to participate in impact assessments, opportunities to do so may be too short and perfunctory to be meaningful. The report also recommends measures to better respect Indigenous rights and authority, and ensure that decisions are based on science rather than politics.
The report’s findings are based on reviews of the first ten projects to have entered into the assessment process since the Act came into force – including the Gazoduq LNG project in Quebec and northeastern Ontario, Coalspur Vista Coal Mine in Alberta, and the Ring of Fire road projects in northern Ontario.