About
The House of Commons Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development (the Committee) is established by the Standing Orders of the House of Commons. Standing Order 108(2) gives committees the power “to study and report on all matters relating to the mandate, management and operation of the department or departments of government which are assigned to them.” The department and agencies under the purview of the Committee are:
- Environment and Climate Change Canada;
- the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada (formerly the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency).
- the Canada Water Agency.
Legislation administered by the department and agencies listed above falls under the purview of the Committee. This legislation includes, but is not limited to, the following:
- the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999;
- the Impact Assessment Act;
- the Species at Risk Act;
- the Migratory Birds Convention Act, 1994;
- the pollution prevention provisions of the Fisheries Act;
- the Canada Water Act;
- the International Rivers Improvement Act;
- the Canada Wildlife Act;
- the Federal Sustainable Development Act;
- the Arctic Waters Pollution Prevention Act; and
- the Environmental Violations Administrative Monetary Penalties Act.
The Committee also examines, enquires into and reports on matters referred to it by the House of Commons, including legislation. Its work may include the consideration of:
- the main and supplementary estimates;
- the reports of the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development;
- departmental action plans and progress reports produced in response to the reports of the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development; and
- order in council appointments.
For a more detailed overview of parliamentary committees, please consult the Our Procedure page.
In the execution of its functions, each committee is normally assisted by a committee clerk, a committee assistant, and one or more analysts. Occasional assistance is also provided by legislative clerks and lawyers from the Office of the Law Clerk and Parliamentary Counsel. These individuals are non-partisan and serve all members of the committee and representatives of all parties equally.
Committee Clerk
The clerk performs their duties and responsibilities under the direction of the committee and its Chair. As an expert in the rules of the House of Commons, the clerk may be requested to give advice to the Chair and members of the committee should a question of procedure arise. The clerk is the coordinator, organizer and liaison officer for the committee, and as such, is in frequent contact with Members’ staff. The clerk is also responsible for inviting witnesses and dealing with all the details regarding their appearance before the committee.
Committee Assistant
The committee assistant provides a wide range of specialized administrative services for the organization of committee meetings and the publishing of documents on the committee’s website. The committee assistant works with the clerk to meet the needs of the committee.
Committee Analyst
The Library of Parliament’s analysts, who are subject-matter experts, provide authoritative, substantive, and timely research, analysis and information to all members of the committee. They are part of the committee’s institutional memory and are a unique resource for parliamentarians. Supported by research librarians, the analysts work individually or in multidisciplinary teams.
Analysts can prepare briefing notes on the subjects being examined, detailed study plans, lists of proposed witnesses, analyses of an issue with a list of suggested questions, background papers, draft reports, news releases, and formal correspondence.
OTHER RESOURCES AVAILABLE AS REQUIRED
Parliamentary Counsel
Within the Office of the Law Clerk and Parliamentary Counsel, parliamentary counsel (Legislation) are available to assist Members who are not in Cabinet with the preparation of private Members’ bills or of amendments to government bills or other bills.
At various stages of the legislative process, Members may propose amendments to bills. Amendments may first be proposed at the committee stage, during a committee’s clause-by-clause review of a bill. Amendments may also be proposed at the report stage, once a bill returns to the House.
Once a bill is sent to committee, the clerk of the committee provides Members the name of the parliamentary counsel (Legislation) responsible for drafting the amendments for that bill.
Legislative Clerk
The legislative clerk serves all members of the committee as a specialist of the process by which a bill becomes law. They are available to give, upon request from Members and their staff, advice on the admissibility of amendments when bills are referred to committee. The legislative clerk organizes the amendments into packages for committee stage, reviews all the committee amendments for procedural admissibility and prepares draft rulings for the Chair.
During clause-by-clause consideration of bills in committee, a legislative clerk is in attendance to assist the committee with any procedural issues that may arise. The legislative clerk can also provide Members with advice regarding the procedural admissibility of report stage amendments. When a bill is sent to committee, the clerk of the committee provides Members the name of the legislative clerk assigned to the bill.
The Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO)
The Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO) is an officer of Parliament created by the Parliament of Canada Act who supports Parliament by providing analysis, including analysis of macroeconomic and fiscal policy, for the purposes of raising the quality of parliamentary debate and promoting greater budget transparency and accountability.
The Parliament of Canada Act also provides the PBO with a mandate to, if requested by a committee, estimate the financial cost of any proposal over which Parliament has jurisdiction. Certain committees, including the Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates, can also request research and analyses of the nation’s finances or economy, or of the estimates.
Further information on the PBO may be found at: http://www.pbo-dpb.gc.ca/en/.
44th Parliament, 1st Session
- Between 2021 and 2024, the Committee undertook a study of Freshwater. No report was issued prior to the dissolution of Parliament.
- In 2024, ENVI undertook a study: Environment and Climate Impacts Related to the Canadian Financial System. No report was issued prior to the dissolution of Parliament.
- In 2024, ENVI undertook a study, Factors Leading to the Recent Fires in Jasper National Park. No report was issued.
- In 2024, ENVI undertook a study: Emergency Order for Boreal Caribou Protection under the Species at Risk Act. No report was issued prior to the dissolution of Parliament.
- In 2024, ENVI undertook a study: Profits and Emissions Reduction Efforts in Canada’s Oil and Gas Industry. No report was issued prior to the dissolution of Parliament.
- In 2023, ENVI undertook a study: Toxic Leak of Tailings Ponds. No report was issued prior to the dissolution of Parliament.
- Support for Clean Technologies in Canada to Reduce Domestic and International Greenhouse Gas Emissions [report presented to the House December 3, 2024].
- The Government of Canada’s Planned Phase-Out of Fossil Fuel Subsidies and of Public Financing of the Fossil Fuel Sector [report presented to the House June 20, 2023].
- Canada and Radioactive Waste Management: Important Decisions for the Future [report presented to the House on November 5, 2024].
- The Impacts of a Ban on Certain Single-Use Plastic Items on Industry, Human Health and the Environment in Canada [report presented to the House on April 4, 2022].
- The Road Ahead: Encouraging the Production and Purchase of Zero-Emission Vehicles in Canada [report presented to the House on April 13, 2021 and December 16, 2021].
43rd Parliament, 2nd Session
- The Road Ahead: Encouraging the Production and Purchase of Zero-Emission Vehicles in Canada [report presented to the House on April 13, 2021 and December 16, 2021].
- The Volkswagen Defeat Device Case and Enforcement of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 [report presented to the House on June 18, 2021].
42nd Parliament, 1st Session
- The Last Straw: Turning the Tide on Plastic Pollution in Canada [report presented to the House on June 18, 2019].
- Clean Growth and Climate Change: How Canada Can Lead Internationally [report presented to the House on April 9, 2019].
- Clean Growth and Climate Change in Canada: Forestry, Agriculture and Waste [report presented to the House on April 9, 2019].
- Better Buildings for a Low Carbon Future [report presented to the House on June 18, 2018].
- Preserving Canada’s Heritage: The Foundation for Tomorrow [report presented to the House on December 4, 2017].
- Taking Action Today: Establishing Protected Areas for Canada’s Future [report presented to the House on March 24, 2017].
- Healthy Environment, Healthy Canadians, Healthy Economy: Strengthening the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 [report presented to the House on June 15, 2017].
- Federal Sustainability for Future Generations – A Report Following an Assessment of the Federal Sustainable Development Act [report presented to the House on June 17, 2016].
- In June 2015, ENVI began a study on the role of the private sector in Canada in showing leadership by partnering with not-for-profit organizations to undertake local environmental initiatives. No report was issued prior to the dissolution of Parliament.
- Licensed Hunting and Trapping in Canada [report presented to the House on June 17, 2015].
The Committee studied the following bills that were under consideration by the House of Commons:
44th Parliament, 1st Session
- Bill C-317, An Act to establish a national strategy respecting flood and drought forecasting [presented to the House on May 7, 2024].
- Bill S-5, An Act to amend the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999, to make related amendments to the Food and Drugs Act and to repeal the Perfluorooctane Sulfonate Virtual Elimination Act [presented to the House on March 22, 2023; received Royal Assent on June 13, 2023].
- Bill C-248, An Act to amend the Canada National Parks Act (Ojibway National Urban Park of Canada) [presented to the House on November 17, 2022].
- Bill C-226, An Act respecting the development of a national strategy to assess, prevent and address environmental racism and to advance environmental justice [presented to the House on November 14, 2022].
43rd Parliament, 2nd Session
- Bill C-230, An Act to respecting the development of a national strategy to redress environmental racism [presented in the House on June 22, 2021].
- Bill C-12, An Act respecting transparency and accountability in Canada’s efforts to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by the year 2050 [presented in the House on June 11, 2021; received Royal Assent on June 29, 2021].
- Bill C-204, An Act to amend the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (final disposal of plastic waste) [presented in the House on April 13, 2021].
42nd Parliament, 1st Session
- Bill C-69, An Act to enact the Impact Assessment Act and the Canadian Energy Regulator Act, to amend the Navigation Protection Act and to make consequential amendments to other Acts [presented to the House on May 29, 2018; received Royal Assent on June 21, 2019].
- Bill C-323, An Act to amend the Income Tax Act (rehabilitation of historic property) [concurred in by the House on March 21, 2018].
- Bill C-374, An Act to amend the Historic Sites and Monuments Act (composition of the Board) [presented to the House on March 2, 2018].
- Bill C-57, An Act to amend the Federal Sustainable Development Act [presented to the House on December 13, 2017; received Royal Assent on February 28, 2019].
- Bill C-18, An Act to amend the Rouge National Urban Park Act, the Parks Canada Agency Act and the Canada National Parks Act [presented to the House on December 14, 2016; received Royal Assent on June 19, 2017].
- Bill C-238, An Act respecting the development of a national strategy for the safe disposal of lamps containing mercury [presented to the House on November 16, 2016; received Royal Assent on June 22, 2017].