This article will attempt to provide a portrait of the modern Canadian environmental enforcement unit, its policies, procedures, relationships with other aspects of their department's mandate, and current trends in interagency cooperation and penalties. Many of the examples employed in this paper will come from experiences within Environment Canada. Nevertheless, the differences between most Canadian environmental agencies are only subtle, and most comments about Environment Canada's program apply generally to all agencies. In addition to being a broad-reaching legislative tool for control and management of toxic substances in Canada, CEPA also provided the platform for a stronger, more effective enforcement role for Environment Canada. Concurrent with the promulgation of CEPA, a second document was also released which gave substance to that role.
Most provinces now have, or are in the process of developing, analogous policies.
The Policy itself, best describes its purpose. The purpose of the Enforcement and Compliance Policy for the Canadian Environmental Protection Act is to facilitate compliance with the Act. It also lets everyone know what to expect from Environment Canada and the officials who enforce the Canadian Environmental Protection Act and its regulations. The Enforcement and Compliance Policy provides five guiding principles. Enforcement officials throughout Canada will apply the Act in a manner that is fair, predictable and consistent.