It’s not often a private member’s bill is passed in Parliament.But Green Party leader Elizabeth May has been successful in pushing through Bill C-226 late Thursday, aimed at what she is ostensibly calling ‘environmental racism’ in various parts of the country.Under the law, the federal government will have two years to develop a plan to track how indigenous, black and other ‘racialized’ groups have been disproportionately affected by industries such as petrochemical plants and pulp mills that release oxidation chemicals into the environment.The strategy will include mapping environmental impacts, collecting ‘disaggregated’ data, and raising awareness about environmental racism.According to the text, the national strategy must include "an examination of the link between race, socio-economic status and environmental risk" and steps that can be taken to address systemic environmental racism. These could include changes to a wide variety of federal laws, policies and programs..It comes in response to complaints from communities such as the Aamjiwnaang First Nation — also known as Grassy Narrows — over higher rates of chronic diseases such as cancer adjacent to the Sarnia refinery and a pulp and paper mill in southern Ontario.In 2000, seven people died and more than 2,000 others became ill from e-coli contamination in the water system of Walkerville, also in southern Ontario. Dozens of First Nations are still under boil water advisory almost 10 years after the Trudeau government came to power in 2015.Grassy Narrows filed a lawsuit in Ontario Superior Court earlier this month, arguing governments have failed to protect against or remedy the effects of mercury contamination in the English-Wabigoon River system.A 2020 report by the UN pointed to "a pattern in Canada where marginalized groups, and Indigenous peoples in particular, find themselves on the wrong side of a toxic divide, subject to conditions that would not be acceptable elsewhere in Canada.""There is no doubt that Canada has had a problem with environmental racism for decades, and taking action is now required," May told a news conference earlier this week. Supporters said the law sets a new precedent for how future environmental policies can be designed to be “more inclusive and equitable.”“We’re giving them an opportunity to co-create the strategy with us. It’s not just about sharing their grief. I’m sure they’re tired of doing that. It’s about them saying, ‘And this is what I think this national strategy should include’,” said Ingrid Waldron, a researcher and advocate how has long pushed for the legislation.
