Bill C-230

Bill C-230 (An Act respecting the development of a national strategy to assess, prevent and address environmental racism and to advance environmental justice) was introduced as a private member’s bill for its first reading in the House of Commons by MP Lenore Zann on February 26, 2020 (1). This non-partisan bill was created using the research and support of Dr. Ingrid Waldron, the founder and executive director of the Environmental Noxiousness, Racial Inequities, & Community Health (ENRICH) Project (2). Bill C-230 involves measures to support collection of environmental risk data to further explore the intersectional relationships amongst environmental hazards, health outcomes, race, and socio-economic status (1). The bill proposes that once passed, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change must produce a report outlining a plan to address environmental racism within 2 years (1). This report will include interdisciplinary solutions involving policies, laws, and programs with strategies for community consultation, provision of funding for affected communities, and ensuring access to clean air and water nationally (1). Bill C-230 underwent its second reading in the House of Commons on March 23, 2021 and was passed in a vote by the House on March 24, 2021 (1). Bill C-230 was adopted by the Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development on June 21, 2021 and presented to the House on June 22, 2021 with amendments (3). Dr. Ingrid Waldron and MP Lenore Zann have since approved of the proposed amendments, and the revised Bill C-230 awaits its third reading in the fall of 2021 following the election (4).