Portfolio overview

Mission

• Protect the environment, conserve the country’s natural heritage, and reduce potential adverse environmental impacts through the coordination and administration of the Government’s environmental policies and programs, quality and pollution control standards, environmental and meteorological information, as well as the administration of impact assessments of major projects.

Portfolio organizations

• Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC)
• Parks Canada Agency (PCA)
• Impact Assessment Agency of Canada (IAAC)

Deputy heads

• Christine Hogan, DM ECCC
• Ron Hallman, President and CEO PCA
• David McGovern, Interim President IAAC

Key federal partners and external stakeholders

• NRCan, TC, DFO, HC, AAFC, INFC, Public Safety
• Provinces and territories, Indigenous communities and organizations
• Environmental NGOs, Industry
• International organizations and key countries

Mandate and operating context

Although the Department of the Environment (currently styled Environment and Climate Change Canada - ECCC) was created in 1971, some of the Department’s branches and portfolio organizations are much older; the Canadian Wildlife Service was founded in 1947, the Water Survey of Canada in 1908, and the Meteorological Service of Canada in 1871. The first national parks service in the world, which ultimately became Parks Canada, was created in May 1911. The Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency was created in 1994 and was renamed the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada (the Agency) on August 28, 2019, with the coming into force of the Impact Assessment Act (IAA).

The Department supports the Minister of the Environment (currently styled Minister of Environment and Climate Change) in fulfilling his or her responsibilities under some 30 Acts; these Acts and associated regulations provide the department with its mandate and allow it to carry out its programs. Under the Department of the Environment Act, the powers, duties and functions of the Minister of Environment and Climate Change extend to matters such as:

• the preservation and enhancement of the quality of the natural environment, including water, air and soil quality, and the coordination of the relevant policies and programs of the Government of Canada;
• renewable resources, including migratory birds and other non-domestic flora and fauna; and
• meteorology.

Beyond those authorities conferred under the Department of the Environment Act, the Minister exercises additional authorities provided under other acts and regulations including (but not limited to) the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA 1999) and several pieces of legislation relating to the protection of biodiversity and water (e.g., the Species at Risk Act).

The Impact Assessment Agency of Canada is responsible for providing high-quality impact assessments and coordinating Crown Indigenous consultation related to the regulatory review of major projects. Under the Impact Assessment Act, the Agency is responsible for assessing the potential positive and negative environmental, economic, social, and health impacts of proposed major projects. The impact assessment process applies to ‘designated projects’, which are either designated by the Physical Activities Regulations, also known as the Project List, or by the Minister of the Environment under Section 9 of the Impact Assessment Act.

Parks Canada Agency’s mandate is to protect and present nationally significant examples of Canada’s natural and cultural heritage and foster public understanding, appreciation and enjoyment in ways that ensure their ecological and commemorative integrity for present and future generations through the establishment and management of managing Canada’s system of national parks and national marine conservation areas. The Agency is the steward of 46 national parks, one national urban park, four national marine conservation areas and 171 national historic sites, including nine heritage canals, and is also responsible for administering, in whole or in part, 12 of Canada’s 19 World Heritage sites. It also protects approximately 450 000 km² of Canada’s terrestrial, marine and freshwater ecosystems. It is the federal administrator of over 90% of all Crown lands and the second largest federal asset holder.

As environmental issues, notably climate change and biodiversity loss, continue to gain in significance, so does the complexity of addressing them. Working with stakeholders and partners in all orders of government domestically as well as internationally is essential to achieving lasting outcomes. Within the Government of Canada, the Portfolio works with key partners including, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Transport Canada, Infrastructure Canada, Natural Resources Canada, the Canadian Energy Regulator, the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, Public Safety, and Finance. Portfolio organizations also maintain close relationships and engage in formal collaborative mechanisms with counterparts in provincial, territorial and municipal governments. Partnerships and engagement with Indigenous peoples are also essential in recognizing their contributions to our natural heritage and their special relationship with the land; in managing protected areas; and, in considering the impacts of project decisions on their traditional lands. Finally, international partnerships (e.g., the North American Commission for Environmental Cooperation) as well as international organizations and treaties (e.g., the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Convention on Biological Diversity, and the Montreal Protocol) are key to achieving domestic and global environmental objectives.

The portfolio has a significant workforce: the Department has around 6800 full-time employees; Parks roughly 5400, and IAAC roughly 450. The majority of its workforce is located outside the National Capital Region, with each organization maintaining a regional presence in offices, laboratories, weather stations, as well as parks and historic sites across the country. The Department’s total budget for the 2019-2020 fiscal year is $1.8B, Parks Canada’s is $1.65B, and IAAC’s is $74M.