The CEPA 1999 Review Process

CEPA 1999 came into force on March 31, 2000 following an extensive Parliamentary Review of the "original" 1988 CEPA. As a result of that process, Parliament decided that the Act and its administration should be reviewed every five years. As of March 31, 2005, CEPA 1999 stood referred for Parliamentary Review. In April 2006, the work of the CEPA 1999 Review was referred to two Parliamentary Committees, one from each House of Parliament:

• On April 25, 2006, a motion was passed in the House of Commons ordering that the Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development be the committee for the purposes of Section 343 of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act.
• On April 27, 2006, a motion was passed in the Senate ordering that the Standing Committee on Energy, the Environment and Natural Resources be authorized to undertake a review of CEPA 1999 pursuant to Section 343(1) of the said Act.

The Phases of the Review

The CEPA 1999 Parliamentary Review will consist of four main phases