Strategic environmental and economic assessments: Environment and Climate Change Canada
Introduced April 1st, 2024, the Cabinet Directive on Strategic Environmental and Economic Assessment (SEEA) seeks to enhance the understanding and integration of expected environmental and economic effects of proposals referred to Cabinet for decision as well as funding requests. In doing so, SEEA aims to help minimize harms and maximize benefits for the environment and the economy.
Under the Directive, when a detailed assessment has been conducted and the proposal has been announced or implemented, departments and agencies are required to issue a public statement on the environmental and economic effects of the proposal. The public statement provides assurance that environmental and economic effects have been considered during proposal development and decision-making.
This Directive replaces the Cabinet Directive on the Environmental Assessment of Policy, Plan and Program Proposals, also known as Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA), which called for the preparation of a public statement of environmental effects for proposals that were subject to a detailed strategic environmental assessment.
On this page, Environment and Climate Change Canada provides access to all public statements released under both Directives for the Department.
Public Statements: Strategic Environmental and Economic Assessments
2024
- Canada’s 2030 Nature Strategy and the Nature Accountability Bill
- Canada's 2035 Emissions Reduction Target
- Regulations Amending the Wildlife Area Regulations and the Environmental Violations Administrative Monetary Penalties Regulations– Designation of Country Island, Isle Haute and St. Paul Island National Wildlife Areas
Public statements: Strategic Environmental Assessments
2025
- Order Amending Schedule 1 to the Species at Risk Act (Certain Wildlife Species of Red Knot and Four Other Wildlife Species)
- Regulations Amending the PCB Regulations and the Regulations Designating Regulatory Provisions for Purposes of Enforcement (Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999)
- Reduction in the Release of Volatile Organic Compounds (Storage and Loading of Volatile Petroleum Liquids) Regulations
- Landfill Methane Regulations
2024
- Regulations Amending the Wastewater Systems Effluent Regulations
- Biennial Amendments to Hunting Provisions of the Migratory Birds Regulations, 2022
- Order Amending Schedule 1 to the Species at Risk Act (Chestnut-collared Longspur and nine other wildlife species)
- Order Amending Schedule 1 to the Species at Risk Act (Eastern Wolf)
- Clean Electricity Regulations
2023
- Order Amending Schedule 1 to the Species at Risk Act – Peary Caribou and 12 other species
- Order Amending Schedule 1 to the Species at Risk Act – Peregrine Falcon and 16 other species
- Regulations Amending the Wildlife Area Regulations – De-Listing of Unit Number 10 of the Prairie National Wildlife Area
- Regulations Amending the Migratory Birds Regulations, 2022
- Regulations Amending the Wild Animal and Plant Trade Regulations (WAPTR) – Elephant Ivory and Rhinoceros Horn
- Order Amending Schedule 1 to the Species at Risk Act- Monarch and Western Bumble Bees
2022
- Critical Habitat of the Gattinger’s Agalinis Order
- Critical Habitat of the Cerulean Warbler Order
- Migratory Birds Regulations, 2022 – modernization
- Wildlife Area Regulations – establishment of the Edéhzhíe National Wildlife Area
- Wildlife Area Regulations – establishment of the Big Glace Bay Lake National Wildlife Area and expansion of the Prince Edward Point National Wildlife Area
- Migratory Birds Regulations – biennial hunting amendments
- Single-use Plastics Prohibition Regulations
2021
- Order Amending Schedule 1 to the Species at Risk Act
- Critical Habitat of the Fernald’s Braya Order
- Infrastructure Upgrade of the Polar-Orbiting Satellite Reception Network
- Net-Zero Advisory Body
- Nature Smart Climate Solutions Fund
- Enhanced Nature Legacy
- Commitment to strengthen the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999, and to recognize a right to a healthy environment
- Policy Statement on Future Thermal Coal Mining Projects and Project Expansions
- Emergency order for the protection of the Western Chorus Frog in Longueuil, Quebec
- Order Amending Schedule 1 of the Species at Risk Act for 16 terrestrial species
2019
- Amending the Federal Sustainable Development Act
- 2019 amendment to schedule 1 of the Species at Risk Act: 31 terrestrial species
- Order amending the Schedule to the Federal Sustainable Development Act
- Genomics Research and Development Initiative
- 2019 to 2022 Federal Sustainable Development Strategy
- Ministerial order to protect the critical habitat of the Woodland Caribou Boreal population
- Ministerial order to protect the critical habitat of the Barrens Willow
- 2019 amendment to schedule 1 of the Species at Risk Act: migratory birds
- Transforming Canada's water monitoring program
- Refurbishment of Eureka Weather Station and surrounding facilities on Ellesmere Island, Nunavut
- Modernizing the Science Horizons Youth Internship Program
- Climate Action Incentive Fund
- Renewal of the Federal Contaminated Sites Action Plan
- Terrestrial Cumulative Effects Initiative
- Advancing Knowledge in Support of Managing Cumulative Effects in the Salish Sea
- Salish Sea Marine Bird Monitoring and Conservation Program
- Impact assessment and regulatory regime implementation at Environment and Climate Change Canada
- 2019 Amendment to Schedule 1 of the Species at Risk Act: 31 aquatic species
- Measures to support the survival and recovery of the Southern Resident Killer Whale
- Federal Leadership Towards Zero Plastic Waste in Canada initiative
- Prarie Nature Legacy: A Land Exchange for Conservation
2018
- 2018 – Funding for the Green Municipal Fund
- Amendment to the provisions of Migratory Birds Regulations
- Scott Islands Protected Marine Area Regulations
- Follow-up report to the Standing Committee on the Canadian Environmental Protection Act
- Adoption of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
- Ministerial order to protect the critical habitat of the Western Chorus Frog
- Canada-Quebec agreement on acts and regulations applicable to wastewater systems in Quebec wastewater sector
- Private Member's Motion M-151
- Adapting Canada's Weather Services to Climate Change
- Nature Legacy for Canada
- 2018 Amendment to Schedule 1 of the Species at Risk Act (31 terrestrial species)
- 2018 Amendment to Schedule 1 of the Species at Risk Act (bees and other terrestrial species)
- Canada’s Ocean Agenda and the Framework for Canadian Leadership on International Oceans
2017
- 2016-2019 Federal Sustainable Development Strategy
- BlackRock mine project: amendment to schedule 2 of Metal Mining Effluent Regulations
- Canada agrees to control hydrofluorocarbons under the Montreal Protocol
- Canadian framework negotiating mandate for meetings of the CITES CoP
- Freshwater protection in the Great Lakes and Lake Winnipeg basins
- Implementation of the Minamata Convention on Mercury
- Kerr-Sulphurets-Mitchell (KSM) mine project: amendments to Schedule 2 of Metal Mining Effluent Regulations
- Mandate to negotiate amendments to the Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions
- Metal and Diamond Mining Effluent Regulations: amendments to schedule 2
- New terms and conditions for Canada’s assessed contributions to the International Network for Bamboo and Rattan (INBAR)
- Order amending Schedule 1 to the Species At Risk Act - Eastern Canada
- Order amending Schedule 1 to the Species at Risk Act - Western Species
- Regulations amending the Wild Animal and Plant Trade Regulations: 17th Conference of the Parties
- Regulations amending the Wild Animal and Plant Trade Regulations (Salamanders)
- Response to the report on strengthening the Canadian Environmental Protection Act
- The Government of Canada’s response to private member’s motion M-104 regarding the creation of an Ottawa River Watershed Council
- Addressing Air Pollution Horizontal Initiative
- Public Statement for the Strategic Environmental Assessment of the Environmental and Regulatory Reviews
- Marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdictions: new international treaty negotiation
- Adapting to the impacts of climate change
- 2017 Amendment to Schedule 1 of the Species at Risk Act (migratory birds)
2016
- Amended hunting provisions (Schedule 1) of the Migratory Birds Regulations
- Critical Habitat of the Roseate Tern (Sterna dougallii) Order
- Emergency order for the protection of the Western Chorus Frog (Great Lakes / St. Lawrence - Canadian Shield population)
- Managing Canada-US boundary waters: Meeting Canada’s Commitments
- Negotiating mandate that supports the adoption in 2016 of an Amendment to Phase Down Hydrofluorocarbons under the Montreal Protocol
- Ratification of the Minamata Convention on Mercury
- Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change
- Canada’s Approach for Implementing the Paris Agreement
2013
- Federal Sustainable Development Strategy 2013-2016
- Implementation of the Joint Canada-Alberta Implementation Plan for Oil Sands Monitoring
- Lake Simcoe/South-eastern Georgian Bay Clean-Up Fund
- National Conservation Plan
- Publication of the Updated Canadian Ambient Air Quality Standards and Implementation of Industrial Emission Requirements
2012
- Clean Air Regulatory Agenda
- Federal Contaminated Sites Action Plan Phase II
- Great Lakes Nutrient Initiative
- Helping Canadians Adapt to a Changing Climate
- International Climate Change Strategy 2011: Fast Start Financing
- International Climate Change Strategy and the Canada-U.S. Clean Energy Dialogue
- Lake Winnipeg Basin Initiative Renewal
- Strengthening the Government of Canada’s Weather Monitoring Infrastructure
- Supporting Climate Change and Atmospheric Research at Canadian Post-Secondary Institutions