Canadian Environmental Protection Act: agreements
Section 9 of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA), provides for the federal government to enter into administrative agreements with provinces. In addition, under section 10, the federal government can enter into an equivalency agreement with a province, so that provincial requirements are enforced in place of the equivalent CEPA regulation. Other related agreements, such as those on Canada-wide standards, are entered into under CEPA section 9, however they represent cooperation towards a common goal, rather than a delegation of authority under CEPA. Furthermore, under Canada's constitution, the federal government has the authority to enter into international environmental agreements. CEPA and CEPA regulations implement a number of these agreements.
Proposed agreements
A copy of every agreement proposed to be made by the minister under CEPA, or notice of its availability, is published in Part I of the Canada Gazette, Canada's official parliamentary journal. Within 60 days after the publication of a proposed agreement, any person may file with the minister, comments or a notice of objection on the proposed agreement. Once a proposed agreement has been finalized, the minister shall publish, or give notice of its availability, in Part II of the Canada Gazette.