Fonds consists of records created and/or maintained by the Department of Environment and its predecessors. Researchers are cautioned that unprocessed textual records and records in other media are not reflected in this description.
Audio-visual material can be found in the following series': Audio-Visual Material from Environment Canada; and Public Review Panel on Tanker Safety and Marine Spills Response Capability.
Canada. Environment Canada : The Government Reorganization Act, 1970 (19-20 Eliz. II, c.42 sec. 2) established the Department of Environment upon receiving Royal Assent on 11 June 1971. The purpose was to bring together the core functions relating to environmental quality and the natural environment under one minister. The Department of Environment, also known as Environment Canada, was created through the amalgamation of several branches, units and services from other departments responsible for activities relating to air, water, land, forests, wildlife, fish and meteorological services.
The Department of Fisheries and Forestry (P.C. 2047, dated 26 November 1970) formed the main body of the new organization. It joined with other federal services including the Ministry of Transport's Canadian Meteorological Service; the Department of National Health and Welfare's Air Pollution Control and Public Health Engineering divisions; the Department of Energy, Mines and Resources' Water Sector Branch; the Department of Regional Economic Expansion's Canada Land Inventory; and the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs' Canadian Wildlife Service. The Honourable Jack Davis, previously responsible for Fisheries and Forestry, was appointed as the first Minister of the Environment.
The new department was structured under five resource services and one administration sector: Fisheries Service; Lands, Forests and Wildlife Service, Water Management Service, Atmospheric Environment Service; and the Environmental Protection Service. The Policy, Planning and Research Service, and the Finance and Administration Service provided the corporate and planning functions for the related sectors, each of these units was administered by an assistant deputy minister. Three external advisory bodies were also established to advise the Minister on issues relating to environmental management and renewable resources. These bodies were the Environmental Advisory Council, responsible for environmental concerns; the Forestry Advisory Council and the Fisheries Advisory Council each responsible for aspects of major renewable resource issues.
The Fisheries Service component consisted of the former Fisheries Service of the Department of Fisheries and Forestry and, the Fisheries Board. Its purpose was to bring together the operational and research functions relating to the fisheries mandate. The components of the Forestry Service, the Canadian Wildlife Service and the Canadian Land Inventory were merged under one head to form Environment's Lands, Forests and Wildlife Service. These services shared similar operations and land-use planning functions in research, surveys and consultation with provincial and industry groups. The Department of Energy, Mines and Resources's water management units, relating to water planning and operations, marine science and inland waters were brought together to form the Water Management Service. The Water Management Service umbrella also included activities from the Canadian Centre for Inland Waters, and the Bedford Institute of Oceanograhy. The Atmospheric Environmental Service took over the responsibilities of Transport's Canadian Meteorological Services. It was responsible for conducting research and providing information on atmospheric and weather conditions in Canada, as well as gathering of ice data in navigable waters. The Environmental Protection Service was responsible for environmental control and public health information, administering the Clear Air Act and related codes and regulations. Many of its functions were carried over from Fisheries and Forestry's Environmental Quality Directorate, and Health and Welfare's Environmental Health Directorate. Finally, the Finance and Administration Service sector provided overall administration of the corporate functions including finance, personnel and planning.
The early 1970's, legislative changes and environmental policy was greatly influenced by amendments to the Fisheries Act (1970), the creation of a new Canada Water Act (1971), and the Clean Air Act (1971), and thus, the way in which the Department carried out its responsibilities. The various units of the Department of Environment reorganized under three main services instead of five. The revised organizational structure consisted of the Fisheries and Marine Service, Environmental Services, and the Planning and Finance Service, each section was managed by an Assistant Deputy Minister. This basic structure remained in place until 1979.
The Fisheries and Marine Service maintained responsible for operations relating to national fishery resources in coastal and inland waters; marine environment in and around Canada; as well as ensuring Canadian representation on international and territorial boundary waters relating to fisheries issues. It was also responsible for fisheries and fish products research and development programs. The Fisheries Research Board acted in an advisory capacity for fisheries-related research and development programs and ensured that programs maintained a national scope. The Environmental Services merged the discrete responsibilities for the Atmospheric Environment Service, Environmental Management, and the Environmental Protection Services. The most significant changes within the Environmental Services unit affected the Environmental Management Services area which combined the Canadian Forestry Service, the Inland Waters Directorate, the Canadian Wildlife Service, and the Lands Directorate under a single authority.
As part of the Environment Services umbrella, the Atmospheric Environment Service, formerly known as the Canadian Meteorological Service, continued to provides services relating to weather, climate, the state of the seas, ice and air quality. It was also responsible for ensuring that information is available on the atmosphere, ice and sea-state for the safety of life, the security of property, efficiency of economic activities and for the maintenance of environmental quality. The Environmental Protection Services became responsible for environmental assessments, developing environmental protection regulations, and the control of water pollution. It administers federal responsibilities in relation to the protection of the environment from pollution, acid rain and toxic substances. The service focuses on long term solutions and develops an awareness of preventative and remedial measures through applied research. The Environmental Protection Service develops strategies and maintains a knowledge base for the state of the environment necessary for the healthy ecosystems and diversity, as well as the sustained use of natural resources.
Finally, the former Finance and Administration Service became the Planning and Finance Service with responsibilities for the Policy, Planning and Evaluation Directorate; Liaison and Coordination Directorate and the Office of Science Advisor. The Office of the Science Officer acquired its responsibilities from the Directorate of Research Coordination, in which it became involved in scientific work in northern Canada.
In December 1973, Cabinet approved the establishment of the Environmental Assessment and Review Process. Its purpose was to ensure that environmental matters were not overlooked in the planning and implementation of projects, programs and activities originating from the federal government.
In 1974, a focus on decentralization prompted the creation of a Policy Program Development Directorate and, five regional establishements. The Department of Environment became a highly decentralized institution with a large regional base, with offices in the Maritimes, Quebec, Ontario, Prairies (or Western and Northern), Pacific and Yukon regions. A regional board membership was also created consisting of sixteen senior officials from all programs and directorates in the regions, including the heads of major research institutions. Throughout the 1970s, these basic components remained in place until amendments were introduced to the Government Organization Act in 1979.
Among the implications for the the environmental mandate and responsibilities was the reliquishment of the fisheries mandate; a separate department was created for Fisheries and Oceans. Later that year, responsibility for the Canadian Parks Service was transferred to the Department of Environment from the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs (P.C. 1979-1617 and P.C. 1979-1841).
In 1985, a new Conservation and Protection Service was created by merging the activities within the Environmental Protection Service and the Environmental Conservation Service. In 1989, the activities within the Lands Directorate were transferred to the State of the Environment Reporting Branch and the Canadian Wildlife Service.
In September 1984, the federal responsibilities for the Canadian Forestry Service were transferred to the Department of Agriculture (P.C. 1984-3200); and transferred back to the Department of Environment in the following year. On 15 August 1988, the Department of Environment's Canadian Forestry Service became its own department, under the title, Forestry Canada (P.C. 1988-2109). In July 1993, Environment relinguished responsibility over the Canadian Parks Service when it moved to the Department of Canadian Heritage in July 1993 (P.C. 1993-1489).
The Minister of the Environment continues to maintain federal responsibility over the preservation and enhancement of the quality of the natural environment. The collection reflects all aspects of the federal environmental mandate, from the offices of past ministers, deputy ministers and other senior executives responsible for environmental protection, preservation and conservation of air, water and land and resources.
