Protecting Canadians from Harmful Chemicals and Advancing Environmental Justice

The air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat, and the land on which we live is central to our health and well-being. Too often, when toxic substances pollute our environment, it is Indigenous, lower income, or racialized communities that are most likely to suffer the consequences.

That’s why a re-elected Liberal government will:

• Pass a strengthened Canadian Environmental Protection Act to protect everyone, including people most vulnerable to harm from toxic substances and those living in communities where exposure is high.
• Recognize the “right to a healthy environment” for the first time in federal law.
• By Spring 2022, move forward with mandatory labelling of chemicals in consumer products, including cosmetics, cleaning products, and flame retardants in upholstery, that may have impacts on our health or environment.
• Increase testing of imported products for compliance with Canadian standards to ensure that they are safe for Canadian consumers and that Canadian producers are not at a disadvantage.
• Table legislation to require the Minister of Environment and Climate Change to examine the link between race, socio-economic status, and exposure to environmental risk, and develop a strategy to address environmental justice.
• Identify and prioritize the clean-up of contaminated sites in areas where Indigenous, racialized, and lowincome Canadians live.
• Implement a comprehensive action plan to protect Canadians, including firefighters’, from exposure to toxic flame retardants found in household products.