Public Biodiversity Plans and Progress Reports

Summary#

This bill, the Nature Accountability Act (C-73), requires the federal Minister of Environment to plan, report, and be more transparent about Canada’s work under the UN Convention on Biological Diversity. It sets process rules for national biodiversity strategies and progress reports, creates an expert advisory committee, and requires public tabling and publication of documents. It does not set new conservation targets or create new regulations.

• Requires a national biodiversity strategy and action plan, aligned with global targets like the 23 Kunming-Montreal targets and 4 long-term goals (Definitions; National Biodiversity Strategy s.(1)-(4)).
• Requires national progress reports with any corrective actions, tied to Convention deadlines (National Report s.(1)-(2)).
• Mandates tabling in Parliament within 15 sitting days and public release “as soon as feasible” (National Biodiversity Strategy s.(8)-(9); National Report s.(7)-(8)).
• Creates an independent advisory committee with scientific, Indigenous knowledge, and policy expertise (Advisory Committee s.(1)-(4)).
• Requires consideration of best science, Indigenous knowledge and rights, the precautionary principle, non-regression, intergenerational equity, and equality when planning and reporting (National Biodiversity Strategy s.(4)-(5); National Report s.(3)-(4)).
• Subjects the law to a parliamentary review by December 31, 2030, and every 10 years after (Review).

What it means for you#

• Households

  • No new duties or fees. The bill focuses on planning and reporting, not on individual rules (Purpose; General Provisions — Statutory Instruments Act).
  • You may see more public information on Canada’s biodiversity actions and progress when strategies and reports are tabled and published (National Biodiversity Strategy s.(8)-(9); National Report s.(7)-(8)).

• Indigenous peoples and communities

  • The Minister must take Indigenous knowledge into account and ensure respect for rights recognized by section 35 and the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples when planning and reporting (National Biodiversity Strategy s.(4)-(5); National Report s.(3)-(4)).
  • Indigenous governments and organizations must be given an opportunity to make submissions during strategy and report development (National Biodiversity Strategy s.(7); National Report s.(6)).

• Workers and businesses

  • No direct new regulations or compliance duties in this bill. Strategies and reports are not “statutory instruments,” so they are not regulations (General Provisions — Statutory Instruments Act).
  • Future federal decisions may integrate biodiversity more explicitly, as strategies must describe mechanisms to integrate biodiversity into decision-making (National Biodiversity Strategy s.(2)).

• Provinces, territories, and municipalities

  • The Minister must encourage collaboration and provide opportunities for submissions on strategies and reports (Purpose(c); National Biodiversity Strategy s.(7); National Report s.(6)).
  • Strategies may include information on provincial, Indigenous, and municipal measures, but these inclusions are optional and non-binding (National Biodiversity Strategy s.(3)).

• Civic participants and experts

  • Interested persons, including experts, must be given a chance to make submissions during strategy development (National Biodiversity Strategy s.(7)).
  • An advisory committee will provide independent advice to the Minister; its terms of reference must be published (Advisory Committee s.(1)-(2)).

Expenses#

• Estimated net cost: Data unavailable.

• Key points

  • The bill contains no dollar amounts and no schedules of spending (Full text).
  • It has a Royal Recommendation indicating spending authority may be needed, but it does not state figures (Ministerial Recommendation note).
  • Administrative costs will arise for producing strategies, reports, and managing the advisory committee; Data unavailable.

Proponents' View#

• Improves transparency and accountability by requiring strategies, progress reports, tabling in Parliament within 15 sitting days, and public release (National Biodiversity Strategy s.(8)-(9); National Report s.(7)-(8)).
• Aligns federal planning with international commitments, including 23 global targets and 4 long-term goals under the Kunming-Montreal Framework (Definitions; Purpose(a)).
• Embeds Indigenous knowledge and rights throughout planning and reporting, with required opportunities for Indigenous submissions (National Biodiversity Strategy s.(4)-(5),(7); National Report s.(3)-(4),(6)).
• Encourages whole-of-government and intergovernmental coordination, which may reduce policy gaps (Purpose(c); National Biodiversity Strategy s.(6)-(7); National Report s.(5)-(6)).
• Uses precautionary and non-regression principles to guide decisions and avoid backsliding on biodiversity contributions (National Biodiversity Strategy s.(4)(d)-(e)).
• Establishes an expert advisory committee and publishes its terms of reference, adding independent advice to the process (Advisory Committee s.(1)-(2),(4)).

Opponents' View#

• Sets processes but no enforceable targets, penalties, or mandatory outcomes; strategies and reports are not regulations and create no direct obligations on the public or provinces (General Provisions — Statutory Instruments Act; National Biodiversity Strategy s.(2)-(3)).
• Costs and staffing needs are unspecified; without a fiscal note, the scale and value for money are unclear (Ministerial Recommendation note; Expenses: Data unavailable).
• Federal-provincial overlap risk: biodiversity is shared jurisdiction; the Act encourages collaboration but provides no tools to resolve conflicts or ensure implementation by other governments (Purpose(c); National Biodiversity Strategy s.(3),(7)).
• Advisory committee independence depends on ministerial appointments and terms; the bill sets no fixed membership, tenure, or reporting requirements beyond publishing terms of reference (Advisory Committee s.(1)-(4)).
• Public access could be delayed because publication is “as soon as feasible,” not within a set number of days (National Biodiversity Strategy s.(9); National Report s.(8)).
• Ties to external Convention deadlines may lead to uneven timing; the bill does not set domestic dates beyond those external schedules (National Biodiversity Strategy s.(1); National Report s.(1)).