Before Submitting a Petition
1. Learn about the Process
Who can submit a petition?
Any Canadian resident—acting as an individual or on behalf of an organization—can submit a petition to the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development, who manages the process on behalf of the Office of the Auditor General of Canada (OAG).
What criteria must a petition fulfill?
For a petition to be eligible, it must address an environmental matter related to sustainable development that falls under the mandate of one or more federal departments or agencies. Check which departments are responsible to respond.
Petitions in 5 Steps
- To submit a petition, a petitioner can complete the Online Submission Form or send it via email, mail or fax.
- Within 15 days of receiving the petition, the OAG sends the petition to the relevant ministers.
- Each minister sends a letter to the petitioner within 15 days acknowledging receipt of the petition.
- Within 120 days of receiving the petition, each minister provide a response to the petitioner and to the OAG.
- On behalf of the OAG, the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development provides Parliament with an annual report on petitions.
The Auditor General Act requires ministers to answer a petitioner’s questions within 120 days. Ministers have discretion with respect to taking action on the issues raised.
The OAG cannot take direct action to address issues raised in petitions.
Privacy concerns and libel or defamation
All information submitted with and within an environmental petition is subject to the Access to Information Act. This means that the Office of the Auditor General of Canada may release this information in response to a request for access to information. Petitioners are solely responsible and liable for statements made.
2. Review Existing Petitions
Petitions Catalogue
The catalogue provides summaries of environmental petitions received in the last 5 years:
Request for Copies of Petitions
Titles of older petitions are available, and you can ask to receive the full petition or related responses. Petitions will be provided in the language in which they were originally written.
Disclaimer
The views, opinions, and facts alleged in the petitions and responses are those of petitioners and ministers. They do not represent the views or opinions of the Auditor General of Canada and the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development.
The information in a petition is not audited, and the Commissioner makes no representations as to the accuracy of the information. The Commissioner is not responsible for any damages or losses arising from the use of information in the catalogue, nor is the Commissioner liable for any decision made or action taken based on the information.
The Office of the Auditor General does not edit petitions and responses. Some information may be removed from petitions posted in the catalogue in order to protect the privacy of individuals, to avoid publishing inflammatory or potentially defamatory statements, or to respect copyright.
Copyright of petitions remains with the petitioners.
3. Check Federal Responsibilities
Federal Responsibilities
Your petition must raise a question or concern about environmental issues related to sustainable development that fall within the scope of the federal government’s responsibilities.
The following federal departments and agencies are required to respond to environmental petitions:
- The organizations listed in Schedule I, sections 2 and 11 of the Financial Administration Act,
- The organizations listed in Schedule I.1, sections 2 and 3 of the Financial Administration Act,
- The organizations listed in Schedule II, section 2 of the Financial Administration Act,
- The National Capital Commission, and
- Jacques-Cartier and Champlain Bridges IncorporatedInc.
Federal departments and agencies not listed above have the option of responding to petitions.
- A - Government of Canada departments and agencies starting with the letter A
- C - Government of Canada departments and agencies starting with the letter C
- E - Government of Canada departments and agencies starting with the letter E
- F - Government of Canada departments and agencies starting with the letter F
- G - Government of Canada departments and agencies starting with the letter G
- H - Government of Canada departments and agencies starting with the letter H
- I - Government of Canada departments and agencies starting with the letter I
- J - Government of Canada departments and agencies starting with the letter J
- L - Government of Canada departments and agencies starting with the letter L
- M - Government of Canada departments and agencies starting with the letter M
- N - Government of Canada departments and agencies starting with the letter N
- O - Government of Canada departments and agencies starting with the letter O
- P - Government of Canada departments and agencies starting with the letter P
- R - Government of Canada departments and agencies starting with the letter R
- S - Government of Canada departments and agencies starting with the letter S
- T - Government of Canada departments and agencies starting with the letter T
- V - Government of Canada departments and agencies starting with the letter V
- W - Government of Canada departments and agencies starting with the letter W
A
Accessibility Standards Canada
Administrative Tribunals Support Service of Canada
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency
C
Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions
Canada Emission Reduction Incentives Agency
Canada Employment Insurance Commission
Canada School of Public Service
Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety
Canadian Food Inspection Agency
Canadian Human Rights Commission
Canadian Institutes of Health Research
Canadian Intergovernmental Conference Secretariat
Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency
Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission
Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission
Canadian Security Intelligence Service
Canadian Transportation Agency
Civilian Review and Complaints Commission for the Royal Canadian Mounted PoliceRCMP
Communications Security Establishment Canada
Correctional Investigator Canada
Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada
E
Employment and Social Development Canada
Environment and Climate Change Canada
F
Farm Products Council of Canada
Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario
Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario
Financial Consumer Agency of Canada
Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada
G
H
I
Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada
Impact Assessment Agency of Canada
Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada
J
Jacques-Cartier and Champlain Bridges IncorporatedInc.
L
M
Military Grievances External Review Committee
Military Police Complaints Commission of Canada
N
National Research Council Canada
National Security and Intelligence Review Agency Secretariat
Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
Northern Pipeline Agency of Canada
O
Office of the Auditor General of Canada
Office of the Chief Electoral Officer
Office of the Commissioner for Federal Judicial Affairs Canada
Office of the Commissioner of Lobbying of Canada
Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages
Office of the Intelligence Commissioner
Office of the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner of Canada
Office of the Secretary to the Governor General
Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions Canada
Offices of the Information and Privacy Commissioners of Canada
P
Pacific Economic Development Canada
Patented Medicine Prices Review Board Canada
Prairies Economic Development Canada
Public Health Agency of Canada
Public Prosecution Service of Canada
Public Service Commission of Canada
Public Services and Procurement Canada
R
Royal Canadian Mounted PoliceRCMP External Review Committee
Registrar of the Supreme Court of Canada
S
Secretariat of the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians
Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada
T
The National Battlefields Commission
Transportation Safety Board of Canada
Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat
V
Veterans Review and Appeal Board
W
4. Writing Tips
1. General Tips
- Include a title that identifies the main theme of the petition.
- Include a background section in your petition, followed by a list of numbered questions.
- Limit yourself to fewer than 2,000 words and fewer than 10 questions.
- Frame your concerns as questions, which will result in a more direct response.
- Include references or citations to show where the information is from.
- Spell out any abbreviations when they first appear in the petition.
Helpful search words or links for finding information on departmental mandates and responsibilities:
- “ministerial mandate letters”
- “departmental mandates”
- “departmental responsibilities”
- “organizational initiatives”
- The Department of Justice website to explore federal acts and regulations, and what departments are responsible for them
2. Background
- What are the main concerns of your petition?
- What areas of Canada does your petition concern?
- Would a map clarify the areas?
- What is the scope of the issue?
- Does the issue affect all Canadians?
- Is it a regional issue?
- Why is this issue important? For example:
- Are there consequences on human health?
- Does it affect biodiversity in surrounding areas?
- Are there any supporting documents to include?
- This may include analyses, pictures, past reports, correspondence, studies, or other information.
- Which federal organizations are responsible for responding to this petition?
3. Questions
Provide background information on the main areas of concern in your petition.
The following questions can help guide you. Note: These are suggestions, and not all of the items may apply to all petitions.
The following checklist can help you write effective questions.
Number the questions.
Identify the designated organizations responsible for each question.
Ask specific questions to elicit more detail from federal organizations.
Here are some examples:
Try to avoid broad questions such as:
- Why doesn’t the government care about air pollution?
- Could you please review and amend all federal policies related to toxic substances?
And instead try to formulate more specific questions such as:
- What are the current Canada-wide standards related to smog? Are all smog precursors covered by these standards? What actions is Environment and Climate Change Canada taking to help meet the standards?
- Does the federal government intend to add toxic substance “X” to the virtual elimination list of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act? If not, why not?
4. Examples of past petitions
These examples of past petitions demonstrate many of the above tips and various levels of complexity: