https://legal.excellentwiki.com/ca/environmental-law/Recent content in Environmental Law on ExcellentWiki - Legal EncyclopediaHugoen-USTue, 07 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000https://legal.excellentwiki.com/ca/environmental-law/canada-environmental-law/Tue, 07 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000https://legal.excellentwiki.com/ca/environmental-law/canada-environmental-law/<h2 id="constitutional-foundations">Constitutional Foundations</h2> <p>Environmental law in Canada operates within the <strong>constitutional division of powers</strong>, with no single level of government possessing exclusive jurisdiction over environmental matters. The Supreme Court of Canada confirmed in <em>R v. Hydro-Québec</em>, [1997] 3 SCR 213 that both Parliament and the provincial legislatures may validly enact environmental legislation under their respective heads of power. Federal environmental jurisdiction derives primarily from the <strong>criminal law power</strong> (s. 91(27)), the <strong>fisheries power</strong> (s. 91(12)), the <strong>peace, order, and good government (POGG) power</strong> (s. 91), and jurisdiction over <strong>sea coast and inland fisheries</strong>. Provincial environmental jurisdiction arises from <strong>property and civil rights</strong> (s. 92(13)), <strong>local works and undertakings</strong> (s. 92(10)), and <strong>ownership of natural resources</strong> (s. 92A).</p>