Petitions focused on whether government follows its own rules

(Chapter 6—Environmental Petitions—December 2011 Report of the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development)

Ottawa, 13 December 2011—The recurrent theme in environmental petitions in 2010–2011 was concern about the way the federal government applied its policies and procedures, particularly in relation to environmental assessment, says the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development, Scott Vaughan, in his Report tabled today in the House of Commons. The Commissioner’s annual report on environmental petitions provides an overview of petitions submitted between 1 July 2010 and 30 June 2011, and of federal departments’ performance in responding to petitioners.

“The environmental petitions process is a unique way for Canadians to relay their environmental concerns to federal ministers,” said Mr. Vaughan. “Since it was launched in 1995, our Office has received over 380 petitions.”

The petitions received last year dealt with a variety of topics, including shale gas exploration and extraction and the labelling of products containing genetically modified organisms.

Federal ministers are required to respond to petitioners within 120 days. This year, 92 percent of responses were provided on time. Most responses were complete and relevant, with the exception of a few responses that did not provide substantive answers to petitioners’ questions.

The Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development administers the petitions process on behalf of the Auditor General of Canada. Petitions and responses, along with details about how to submit a petition, are posted on the OAG website.

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