Unit 4

Legislated Environmental Assessment at the Federal Level in Canada

In this unit, we introduce the legislated environmental assessment processes of the Government of Canada. We present an outline history of the evolution of federal EA, accompanied by a description of the process, and the conditions under which it comes into play. We offer an analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of federal EA, in light of the principles enunciated in earlier units, discuss the merits of the changes that have taken place, and introduce continuing aspects of controversy.

Objectives

After completing this unit, you should be able to

1. outline the legislated environmental process of the Canadian government, and define key terms associated with that process.
2. state the circumstances under which a federal environmental assessment is required.
3. summarize the key stages in the evolution of federal EA processes.
4. describe the weaknesses of the federal EA process, and explain why they fall short of good EA.