2021-2022 Departmental Results Report: Operating context - Impact Assessment Agency of Canada

The Impact Assessment of Canada (the Agency) operates in a constantly changing environment where external factors such as markets and a socio-economic climate can affect the type, timing, volume, and distribution of projects requiring impact assessments.

Impact and environmental assessments are planning and decision-making tools that support the Government of Canada’s priority to protect the environment, while strengthening the economy and encouraging investment. In particular, these assessments:

• assist with project design;
• facilitate Indigenous, public, and other stakeholder participation; and
• ensure that appropriate measures are identified and implemented to mitigate the potential adverse effects of designated projects.

The Agency provides Indigenous groups and the public opportunities for meaningful participation. For example, it administers the Participant Funding Program, which supports Indigenous groups, individuals, and non-profit organizations interested in participating in federal environmental and impact assessments, as well as regional and strategic assessments. Indigenous and public participation in federal assessments ensures an open and balanced process and strengthens the quality and credibility of project reviews.

The Agency promotes impact assessment in a manner consistent with the provisions of the Impact Assessment Act (IAA) and ensures that Canada’s international obligations related to impact assessment are properly met.

As environmental management is an area of shared responsibility between the federal and provincial levels of government, some projects may require both a federal and a provincial assessment. These can be coordinated so that a single assessment process meets the legal requirements of both jurisdictions.

The federal Crown has a legal duty to consult and, where appropriate, accommodate Indigenous groups when it contemplates conduct that may adversely affect Aboriginal or Treaty rights. By recognizing and respecting the rights of Indigenous peoples—as well as their knowledge, cultures, and interests in project reviews—and by working in partnership with Indigenous peoples from the start, the Agency advances Canada’s commitment to reconciliation.

The assessment process established under the previous Canadian Environmental Assessment Act 2012 (CEAA 2012) and the current IAA coexists with other impact assessment requirements established under several land claims agreements. These include the following:

• James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement
• Northeastern Quebec Agreement
• Nisga’a Final Agreement
• Labrador Inuit Land Claims Agreement
• Tsawwassen First Nation Final Agreement
• Maa-nulth First Nations Final Agreement
• Inuvialuit Final Agreement

Close collaboration ensures the efficient coordination of these processes.

Project decision-making is transparent and guided by science, Indigenous knowledge, community knowledge, and other reliable evidence. Under the IAA, assessments include Gender-based Analysis Plus (GBA Plus), which examines the projects’ impacts on communities and different groups of individuals.