On February 8, 2018, the federal government tabled Bill C-69, which included a proposal to replace the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, 2012 with the new Impact Assessment Act (IAA). The new legislation was introduced following the government's commitment to review Canada’s environmental assessment framework and introduce new, fairer processes to regain public trust.
Based on a detailed analysis of the bill by West Coast's legal experts, this Q+A provides answers to many common questions that have arisen about the proposed new Impact Assessment Act, and how it would change the way federal decisions are made on matters that affect the environment.
NOTE: This publication was updated in February 2019 to reflect amendments made in June 2018 in the House of Commons. See the updated version here.