A bill to address environmental racism had second reading on the week in Parliament, and would require the federal government to collect data on links between environmental hazards, race, socioeconomic status and health..The Green Party parliamentary leader, Elizabeth May, originally tabled the private member’s bill on February 2. Bill C226, is an act respecting the development of a national strategy to assess, prevent and address environmental racism and to advance environmental justice..Back in February, Green Party interim Leader Amita Kuttner said: “The climate crisis, environmental degradation and social justice issues have the same root cause. We must address colonialism and white supremacy as part of the systemic transformation needed to preserve a liveable world.”.After the second reading of the bill was complete, Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault took to social media to support the bill..“Across Canada, black, indigenous and people of colour are feeling the effects of pollution and environmental damage the hardest,” Guilbeault said on Twitter. “Environmental racism is an issue that has gone unaddressed for far too long in this country.”.“I’m glad to see this important bill get a second reading,” Guilbeault said. “Thanks to Zann Lenore for introducing it and Elizabeth May for leading the charge to get it passed.”.The bill when passed will compel the environment and climate change minister to develop a national strategy to address the harms caused by environmental racism..One Twitter user replied to Guilbeault and said, “Welcome to the fall into the bottomless pit of pure lunacy.” Another user said, “it was a complete waste of money,” while another user lashed out at the minster for trying to be politically correct..“Can’t you just say low income people are feeling the effects of climate change worst than well to do people like. I’m not black or indigenous but I was poor and brought up on welfare in public housing. ‘You people’ always have to try to be politically correct,” the user said..The bill received widespread support when it was first brought forward in the 43rd parliament by Lenore Zann, the former MP for Cumberland-Colchester. It died on the order paper when the writ dropped last August. It made its way to the final stage of debate in the House and gained the support of all parties except the Conservatives before a federal election was called..The National Strategy Respecting Environmental Racism and Environmental Justice Act – will require the government to identify and rectify incidents of environmental racism across Canada, something the US Environmental Protection Agency has been doing in that country for decades..“As in the US, the impact of pollution, toxic contamination, bad air quality and proximity to toxic waste in Canada is far more dangerous for marginalized, racialized, low-income communities than for settler culture Canadians,” said Ms. May. .“We don’t need to look hard for examples: witness the long and troubled history of the Sydney Tar Ponds and Boat Harbour in Nova Scotia,” May said..“The ongoing scandals in Grassy Narrows and Aamjiwnaang First Nations in Ontario; Kanesatake First Nation in Quebec; Shamattawa First Nation in Manitoba; the oil sands in Alberta and multiple sites across the prairies and into British Columbia, including violations of Indigenous territories for pipeline projects. We need to act now to confront the implicit racism of pollution and abuse of nature.”.Arthur Green is a Western Standard contributor.agreen@westernstandard.news.,.Follow on Twitter @artcgreen
