CULIMINATING ACTIVITY
ENVIRONMENT & RESOURCE MANAGEMENT – CGR 4M1
Environmental Petitions in the Federal Government
Learning Objectives
The objectives for you in completing this assignment are to:
 learn about a process for the public to participate in federal environmental policy
making
 investigate and examine the science and/or policy behind an environmental issue
Background
The Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development (CESD) is responsible
for auditing the environmental management programs of the federal government.
The CESD is also responsible for a federal process known as Environmental Petitions.
At the CESD website (http://www.oagbvg.gc.ca/domino/cesd_cedd.nsf/html/cesd_index_e.html), you can find all of the information
you need to prepare an Environmental Petition.
Other CESD publications that you may also find relevant to the Environmental Petition process
include:
 Chapter 7 of the 2001 Report of the Commissioner, Connecting with Canadians: The
Environmental Petitions Process (http://www.oagbvg.gc.ca/domino/reports.nsf/html/c2001menu_e.html).
 Chapter 4 of the 2003 Report of the Commissioner, Environmental Petitions
(http://www.oag-bvg.gc.ca/domino/reports.nsf/html/c2003menu_e.html)
 Chapter 6 of the 2004 Report of the Commissioner, Environmental Petitions
(http://www.oag-bvg.gc.ca/domino/reports.nsf/html/c2004menu_e.html)
Task
Prepare an Environmental Petition for potential submission to the Commissioner of the
Environment and Sustainable Development (CESD). (Note: we are examining a consultative
process in this assignment, but do not intend that the petitions actually be submitted to the
Commissioner)
To prepare your petition, you will need to:
1. choose an environmental issue that you will research (note: the federal government
must have some jurisdiction with the issue)
2. research this issue, including current federal policy
3. discuss and formulate a set of questions that will be the heart of your Environmental
Petition
Suggested below are some possible topics, but you are free to choose the topic and scope of
your petition. You are, however, encouraged to clear your topic with your teacher. Remember your environmental topic must be the responsibility of one of the 28 Federal agencies subject to
the petition process (see http://www.oagbvg.gc.ca/domino/cesd_cedd.nsf/html/petitions_depmin_e.html). It cannot only be a matter for a
provincial or municipal government.
You should follow the recommendations for preparing a Petition as outlined on the
Commissioner’s website at
http://www.oag-bvg.gc.ca/domino/cesd_cedd.nsf/html/petitions_guide_e.html
Possible Topic Areas
Canada’s climate change plan
Large final emitters (the domestic emissions trading program for industrial emitters)
The One-tonne challenge
Carbon management in Canada’s forests (i.e., are forests a carbon source or a sink?)
Biodiversity
Species at Risk Act & the process for listing species as endangered (COSEWIC)
National parks and ecological integrity
Invasive species
Toxic chemicals
Canadian Environmental Protection Act
Contaminated sites (e.g., Sydney Tar ponds)
Extended producer responsibility
Canadian ocean ship disposal in developing countries (recall Burtynsky’s ship breaking
photos)
Pesticides
Pesticides and their management (i.e., Pesticides Management Regulatory Agency)
Great Lakes
Bulk water removal and export
Great Lakes Charter Annex
Urban environmental issues
The role of the federal government in management of transportation demand and public
transit
Energy
Renewable energy policy and incentives (e.g., WPPI, RPPI)
Subsidies to the fossil fuel sector
Environmental impact assessment
Inclusion of traditional environmental knowledge in environmental impact assessment
Scoping cumulative environmental impacts
Environmental impact assessment of international trade negotiations
Air quality
Ozone depleting substances
Acid rain
Particulate matter and ozone standards
Policy to encourage cleaner vehicles & fuels
Pesticides
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Some Advice
You are expected to ask questions that are thoughtful and critical of existing federal policy.
Formulating a sophisticated question is not an easy task. It requires that you have a thorough
understanding of the environmental issue and policy approaches for managing the matter. This
will require you to conduct independent research regarding what the federal government is
currently doing to deal with the issue in which you are interested.
It also requires that you phrase your question in a clear way, using specific details rather than
generalities. The more general your question, the more general will be the response you
receive from a governmental department or agency. For example, if you simply ask: “why is the
federal government not adequately protecting species at risk,” you will receive back a general
answer related to the merits of the Species at Risk Act. If you ask: “what steps are being taken
to evaluate and monitor the effectiveness of the Species at Risk Act in meeting Canada’s
commitment to the Convention on Biological Diversity,” you will get a little more detail. If you
ask for specific examples of how a policy is being put in place within the federal departments,
then you are asking a specific rather than general question. Environmental Petition # 67 is an
example of a good but unsophisticated question. Environmental Petition # 64 is an example of
a very sophisticated set of questions.
(See http://www.oag-bvg.gc.ca/domino/petitions.nsf/viewE1.0?openview&count=1000, the
CESD Petition Catalogue, for these petitions. There are about 135 total petitions so scroll down
to #64 & 67.)
Some Initial Information Sources About Canadian Environmental Policy
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Federal Government Main website: www.gc.ca
Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development: www.oagbvg.gc.ca/domino/oag-bvg.nsf/html/environment.html
Environment Canada website: www.ec.gc.ca
Natural Resources Canada: www.nrcan.gc.ca
National Roundtable on Environment and Economy: www.nrtee-trnee.ca
Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment: www.ccme.ca
North American Council for Environmental Cooperation: www.cec.org
David Suzuki Foundation: www.davidsuzuki.org
The Pembina Institute: www.pembina.org
Pollution Probe: www.pollutionprobe.org
Canadian Environmental Law Association: www.cela.ca
Environmental Defence Canada: http://www.environmentaldefence.ca/
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Assignment
You must submit one copy of your Environmental Petition. Your petition should be succinct (2-5
double spaced pages) and include:
 a short cover letter addressed to the Commissioner with your name and signature. Your
cover letter should indicate the departments or agencies that are responsible for the
chosen issue and from whom you would like a response to your petition
 a properly referenced background section that describes the situation and
circumstances behind the environmental issue that is the subject of your petition (1-2
pages double spaced)
 your petitions questions about existing environmental policy surrounding the
environmental issue (1-2 pages double spaced)
 a list of your cited references
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Environmental Petitions Rubric
LEVEL 1
(50% - 59%)
LEVEL 2
(60% - 69%)
LEVEL 3
(70% - 79%)
LEVEL 4
(80% - 100%)
THINKING
Research Findings are
synthesized in a succinct yet
thorough manner
-research finding are
synthesized using limited
effectiveness
-research finding are
synthesized using some
effectiveness
-research finding are
synthesized using
considerable effectiveness
-research finding are
synthesized using a high
degree of effectiveness
Sophistication of petition
question(s).
-demonstrates limited
development of petition
questions
-demonstrates some
development of petition
questions
-demonstrates considerable
development of petition
questions
-demonstrates thorough
development of petition
questions
Expression of ideas
-expresses ideas with
limited effectiveness
-expresses ideas with
some effectiveness
-expresses ideas with
considerable effectiveness
-expresses ideas with a
high degree of
effectiveness
COMMUNICATION
KNOWLEDGE
Petition background
demonstrates that you have a
thorough understanding of the
environmental issue and its
policy and management
implications
- demonstrates a limited
understanding of the
environmental issue and
its policy and
management implications
- demonstrates some
understanding of the
environmental issue and
its policy and
management implications
- demonstrates considerable
understanding of the
environmental issue and its
policy and management
implications
- demonstrates thorough
understanding of the
environmental issue and its
policy and management
implications
Professionalism, including
overall quality of presentation,
referencing, spelling and
grammar.
-uses language
conventions with limited
accuracy
-uses language
conventions with some
accuracy
-uses language conventions
with considerable accuracy
-uses language conventions
accurately all or almost all
of the time
Displays all required
components effectively
-displays few of the
required components
effectively
-displays some of the
required components
effectively
-displays most of the
required components
effectively
-displays all of the required
components effectively
APPLICATION
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