The Right to a Healthy Environment: N.B. Green Party pushes forward with Bill 19

The New Brunswick Green Party has introduced a bill that would protect air and water quality.

New Brunswick’s Green Party is bringing forward a big bill this week in the legislature. They hope to secure the right to a healthy environment, including the right to clean air and clean water for all New Brunswickers.

Green Party Leader David Coon says the bill aims to not only give New Brunswickers that right, but also the tools needed to uphold it moving forward.

“It would create an environmental commissioner, a new officer of the legislature assembly who you could go to ask to investigate when you think those rights are being violated. Maybe because a policy was established that runs counter to upholding the right to a clean environment or a healthy environment. Maybe because there’s been a failure to enforce existing regulations, standards of environmental quality and the environmental commissioner could weigh in on that,” he said.

Additionally, Bill-19 would give residents greater access to the courts to defend that right, the chance to request an investigation by the Department of Environment and would ensure better protection for whistle blowers who raise concerns.

Coon says it would also put a big emphasis on children.

“It’s substantively different in that it mixes human rights law with environmental law,” he said.

Right now, Bill-19 is scheduled to move forward with a second reading debate on Thursday afternoon and, while not routine, Coon says Premier Susan Holt will allow her caucus to have a free vote on it.

He says the ask this week is for members to vote on whether or not, in principle, they agree with the idea and not the specifics of the law itself.

“We’re hoping we can get it to the next phase, specifically the law and amendments committee, to give New Brunswickers, First Nations, greater opportunity to engage on the bill,” he said.

NB Lung, an advocacy group that has been in New Brunswick since 1933, has been publicly supporting the bill.

“We want people to know that the health of New Brunswickers and the health of our environment are completely linked and we can’t have one without the other,” said President and CEO Melanie Langille.

“For too long health and environment have been siloed and we’re trying to bring them together.”

To date, NB Lung has released an online petition, plans to have representatives present at the legislature on Thursday, and has found easy, modern-day ways for New Brunswickers to show their support.

“We know that sometimes its very intimidating for people to speak to their MLAs, so we are using a tool online where an individual just has to simply put their name and their postal code and a pre-written letter, you can adjust it if it doesn’t suit you, but it will go to your elected officials,” said Langille.

“Air pollution and climate change increase the likelihood of developing lung disease and exacerbate the lung health symptoms for the one in five New Brunswickers that live with lung disease right now, so protecting our environment is very important for those of us that are worried about lung health.”

The New Brunswick legislation only has two more weeks in house before summer break, meaning if it receives support to go to the law amendments committee it would likely be in September according to Coon.

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