Focus of the annual report

The purpose of this annual report is to inform Parliament and Canadians about the number, nature, and status of petitions and responses received from 1 July 2019 to 30 June 2020, as required by section 23 of the Auditor General Act.

Petitions and responses

Petitions received

The OAG received 16 environmental petitions from 1 July 2019 to 30 June 2020. The petitions originated from 5 provinces: Alberta, British Columbia, Nova Scotia, Ontario, and Quebec (Exhibit 3.1).

Performance and responses of departments and agencies

This year, 11 departments and agencies responded to 17 petitions submitted during the current (2019–20) and previous (2018–19) reporting periods. All but 1 of the petition responses were provided within the 120-day statutory response period.

Administration of the environmental petitions process

• Submitting and publishing petitions on the OAG’s website
• Raising Canadians’ awareness of environmental petitions
• Supporting continuous improvement
• Providing assistance to federal organizations
• Incorporating petitions into the OAG’s audit work
• Impact of COVID-19

Why this report is important

Environmental petitions are a unique way for Canadian residents to bring their concerns and questions about environmental issues to the attention of the federal ministers responsible and be guaranteed a response from them. The Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development administers the environmental petitions process on behalf of the Auditor General of Canada.

For more information

Media Relations
Telephone: 1-888-761-5953
Email: infomedia@oag-bvg.gc.ca