Suggestions to Strengthen Environmental Safeguards in the Draft Canada–Alberta Impact Assessment Co-operation Agreement

There are some fundamental issues with this draft agreement that put Canada's valuable and cherished environment and nature at increased risk. Recommendations below:

• Add a minimum federal interest test. Reliance on Alberta’s assessment system should occur only where provincial processes demonstrably meet the minimum federal requirements, including effects on fisheries, migratory birds, species at risk, climate, and Indigenous rights.

• Include explicit climate impact assessment requirements. Assessments conducted under the agreement should evaluate greenhouse gas emissions and consider the project’s consistency with Canada’s climate commitments and emissions reduction objectives.

• Require cumulative effects analysis. Environmental reviews should assess cumulative impacts on ecosystems, water resources, biodiversity, and Indigenous land use, rather than evaluating projects in isolation.

• Avoid automatic deferral of federal conditions to provincial conditions. While alignment of conditions is appropriate where possible, federal conditions should continue to apply where necessary to protect matters under federal jurisdiction.

• Strengthen nature and biodiversity considerations. Assessments should explicitly evaluate impacts on biodiversity, habitat, and ecological integrity, including impacts on species at risk and sensitive ecosystems, and support Canada’s national biodiversity conservation commitments.

• Provide for independent scientific review where warranted. Projects with potentially significant environmental or climate impacts should have the option of independent expert review to support evidence-based decision-making.

• Enhance transparency and public access to information. Environmental studies, modelling assumptions, mitigation plans, and monitoring data should be publicly accessible (with appropriate protections for Indigenous knowledge) to support informed participation and accountability.