Gender and diversity analysis in impact assessment

In 2018, the federal government introduced Bill C-69 - An Act to enact the Impact Assessment Act and the Canadian Energy Regulator Act, to amend the Navigation Protection Act and to make consequential amendments to other Acts. Provisions in the proposed Impact Assessment Act include the consideration of sex, gender, and diversity in impact assessment (IA) processes. These provisions are made in two sections. First, the preamble of Bill C-69 indicates that the “Government of Canada is committed to assessing how groups of women, men and gender- diverse people may experience policies, programs and projects and to taking actions that contribute to an inclusive and democratic society and allow all Canadians to participate fully in all spheres of their lives.” Second, and the key active section related to gender and diversity, the proposed Impact Assessment Act specifies that an impact assessment (IA) of a designated project must take into account “the intersection of sex and gender with other identity factors” (section 22(1)(s))