The Environment and the Charter

• Author: Dayna Nadine Scott
• Pages: 188-201



TheEnvironment

and the Charter

DaynaNadineSco*

A. INTRODUCTION

EnvironmentallawinCanadaisoftenapproachedasthemanifestation

of a complexa ndcontested ju risdictional struggle ch aracterized as a

tugofwarbetweenfederalandprovincialordersofgovernment The

jurisdictionalstruggleisperformedinlegalandpoliticalcirclesbutits

eectsarefeltmostacutelyonthegroundasenvironmentalandhealth

impactsunevenlyaectCanadiansintheirdailylivesAlthoughthese

strugglescannotbeuniformlycharacterizedasconteststollnorvacate

jurisdictionalspacetheyhaveclearlycontributedtoacollectivefail

uretoenactaneectiveandcoordinatedsystemofenvironmentallaw

andregulationinCanada

 AssociateProfessorOsgoodeHallLawSchoolandtheFacultyofEnvironmental

StudiesatYorkUniversityThiscontributiondrawsheavilyonDaynaNadineSco

TheEnvironmentFederalismandtheCharterinNatalieDesRosiersPatrick

MacklemPeterOliveredsThe Ox ford Handbook of the Canadian ConstitutionNew

YorkOxfordUniversityPressonlinewwwoxfordhandbookscomview

lawlawchapterrskeyEuMZresult

JacquiHebertLatOsgoodeHallLawSchoolandastudentinthejointMESJD

Programwasinstrumentalinthedraftingofthiscontribution

 SeeforexampleKathrynHarrisonPassingtheBuckFederalismandCanadianEnvi-

ronmental PolicyVancouverUBCPressMeinhardDoelleChrisTollefson

EnvironmentalLawCasesandMaterialsdedTorontoCarswell

 LyndaCollinsHeatherMcLeodKilmurrayThe Canadian La w of Toxic Torts

TorontoCanadaLawBookthequestionnowiswhethergovernmentsmust