Ready to submit an environmental petition?
Any Canadian resident can submit a petition on environmental matters related to sustainable development that fall within the scope of the federal government’s responsibilities.
Before submitting an environmental petition
Not sure how to get started on your petition? This page has everything you need. It walks you through how to submit a petition, where to find and read existing ones, and what the federal government is responsible for, and it offers useful tips to help you along the way.
Submission process
Who can submit an environmental petition?
Any Canadian resident, acting as an individual or on behalf of an organization, can submit a petition.
What criteria must an environmental petition fulfill?
For a petition to be eligible, it must address an environmental matter related to sustainable development that falls under the mandate of 1 or more federal organizations.
Environmental petitions in 5 steps
- To submit a petition, a petitioner can complete the Online Submission Form or email it.
- Within 15 days after the day of receiving the petition, the Auditor General of Canada sends the petition to the relevant ministers.
- The ministers acknowledge receipt of the petition to the petitioner and the Auditor General of Canada within 15 days after the day on which ministers receive the petition.
- Within 120 days after receiving the petition, each minister provides a response to the petitioner and to the Auditor General of Canada
- On behalf of the Auditor General of Canada, the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development provides Parliament with an annual report on petitions.
The Auditor General Act requires ministers to answer a petitioner’s questions within 120 days. Ministers have discretion with respect to taking action on the issues raised.
The Office of the Auditor General of Canada (OAG) cannot take direct action to address issues raised in petitions.
Privacy concerns and libel or defamation
All information submitted with and within an environmental petition is subject to the Access to Information Act. This means that the Office of the Auditor General of Canada may release this information in response to a request for access to information. Petitioners are solely responsible and liable for statements made.
Review existing environmental petitions
The petitions catalogue provides summaries of environmental petitions received in the last 7 years. Visit our full list of petitions or our catalogue to browse by topic, department, province, or date to determine whether a topic of interest has been previously petitioned.
Legal disclaimer
The views and information contained in petitions, petition summaries, and petition responses are those of the petitioners and the appropriate ministers. Neither the Auditor General of Canada nor anyone acting on their behalf or under their direction endorses the presented views and information.
Moreover, the views and information contained in petitions, petition summaries, and petition responses are not audited or vetted for accuracy. Neither the Auditor General of Canada nor anyone acting on their behalf or under their direction makes any representations about, or assumes any liability for, any of the views and information contained in petitions, petition summaries, and petition responses. For greater clarity, neither the Auditor General of Canada nor anyone acting on their behalf or under their direction is responsible for any damages or losses arising from the use of such views and information or is liable for any decision made or action taken on the basis of them.
Some information in petitions, petition summaries, and petition responses may be removed or not included for a range of reasons, including to protect the privacy of individuals, to avoid publishing inflammatory or potentially defamatory statements, or to respect copyright. Petition summaries are prepared on a best-effort basis with the intention of providing high-level summaries of issues raised in petitions.
Petitions and petition responses may include content subject to third-party intellectual property rights, including copyright, that may limit the use of such content. Permission may need to be sought from the third party to reproduce or otherwise use such content.
Check federal responsibilities
Your petition must raise a question or concern about environmental issues related to sustainable development that fall within the scope of the federal government’s responsibilities.
Tips and resources
Here are some helpful search words to find information on organizations’ mandates and responsibilities:
- “ministerial mandate letters”
- “departmental mandates”
- “departmental responsibilities”
- “organizational initiatives”
For more helpful resources, consult environmental petitions catalogue.
The following federal organizations are required to respond to environmental petitions:
- the organizations listed in Schedule I, sections 2 and 11 of the Financial Administration Act
- the organizations listed in Schedule I.1, sections 2 and 3 of the Financial Administration Act
- the organizations listed in Schedule II, section 2 of the Financial Administration Act
- the National Capital Commission
- Jacques-Cartier and Champlain Bridges
Federal organizations not listed above have the option of responding
to petitions.
Petitions that are more than 7 years old are listed by title only. To obtain a full copy of petitions less than 15 years old (including the ministerial response), just fill out this form. We can provide it in its original language.
Writing tips
Include a title that identifies the main theme of the petition.
Frame your concerns as questions to get a more direct response.
Include a background section in your petition, followed by a list of numbered questions.
Include references or citations to show where the information is from.
Limit yourself to fewer than 2,000 words and fewer than 10 questions.
Spell out any abbreviations when they first appear in the petition.
Background section
Provide background information on the main areas of concern in your petition. The following questions can help guide you.
Note: These are suggestions, and not all of the items may apply to all petitions.
- What are the main concerns of your petition?
- What areas of Canada does your petition concern?
→ Would a map clarify the areas? - What is the scope of the issue?
→ Does the issue affect all Canadians?
→ Is it a regional issue? - Why is this issue important?
→ Are there consequences on human health
→ Does it affect biodiversity in surrounding areas? - Are there any supporting documents to include?
→ This may include analyses, pictures, past reports, correspondence, studies, or other information. - Which federal organizations are responsible for responding to this petition?
Examples of past environmental petitions
These examples of past petitions demonstrate many of the above tips and various levels of complexity:
Numbered questions
The following checklist can help you write effective questions:
1. Number the questions.
2. Identify the designated organizations responsible for each question.
3. Ask specific questions to elicit more detail from federal organizations.
Try to avoid broad questions, instead try to formulate more specific questions, here are some examples:
Instead of:
Why doesn’t the government care about air pollution?
Try:
What are the current Canada-wide standards related to smog? Are all smog precursors covered by these standards? What actions is Environment and Climate Change Canada taking to help meet the standards?
Instead of:
Could you please review and amend all federal policies related to toxic substances?
Try:
Does the federal government intend to add toxic substance “X” to the virtual elimination list of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999? If not, why not?
Contact our environmental petitions team
If you have questions or require further guidance, contact us by phone or email.