“Budget 2018 also proposes to invest in Canada’s world-class federal science laboratories and facilities to enable scientists to continue to conduct research that promotes evidence-based decision-making.”

“j) provides for transparency in decision-making by requiring that the scientific and other information taken into account in an impact assessment, as well as the reasons for decisions, be made available to the public through a registry that is accessible via the Internet; […] (3) The Government of Canada, the Minister, the Agency and federal authorities must, in the administration of this Act, exercise their powers in a manner that adheres to the principles of scientific integrity, honesty, objectivity, thoroughness and accuracy.”

“Today, the Minister of the Environment and Climate Change, the Honourable Catherine McKenna, the Minister of Natural Resources, the Honourable Jim Carr, and the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, announced the Federal Cabinet’s decision to approve the $11 billion Pacific NorthWest LNG Project after a rigorous federal environmental assessment. […] Decisions based on science, traditional knowledge of Indigenous peoples and other relevant evidence: Scientific experts from Natural Resources Canada, Transport Canada, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Environment and Climate Change Canada and Health Canada provided scientific and technical advice throughout the assessment. Indigenous peoples brought forward traditional knowledge including observations about marine conditions that prompted additional study. The review period was extended so that federal scientists could thoroughly assess the proponent’s information, require supplementary studies and review additional external research. As a result of this review, mitigation measures and monitoring requirements were put in place. Critically, scientists found no significant effects on fish with the legally-binding mitigation and monitoring conditions.”

“Budget 2016 proposes measures to rebuild trust in Canada’s environmental assessment processes, provide the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency with the necessary resources to deliver on its responsibilities, and increase and sustain capacity for evidencebased decision-making for projects in the North.”

“The government is launching an interim review process that will impose more steps on projects such as Kinder Morgan’s Trans Mountain and TransCanada’s Energy East pipelines before they can be built. […] “If we’re going to attract the investments we need to sustainably develop our energy resources, then we have to better engage Canadians, conduct deeper consultations with indigenous peoples and base decisions on science, facts and evidence,” Carr said.”