This document is part of a series of Comparative Law studies that analyze the principle of environmental protection in different legal orders around the world. After a brief historic introduction and a presentation of applicable legislation and case law, the content, limits and possible evolution of this principle are examined. The subject of this study is Canada’s federal legal system. While a “principle of environmental protection” does not appear in the text of Canada’s constitutional documents, a large number of laws at the federal, provincial and territorial levels have as their purpose the protection of the environment, and the importance of this objective has been judicially recognized. The legal framework of environmental protection has been shaped by the constraints that federalism imposes on each level of government — especially on the federal Parliament; these constraints influence both the form and the content of environmental legislation. Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP Read more