A/HRC/45/12/Add.1 information is made publicly available.109 The Special Rapporteur notes that Toronto has passed the first “community right-to-know by-law”, which obliges local business to disclose the toxic chemicals used in their processes.110 69. Canada has made certain positive steps to ensure the availability of health data.111 The Health Canada platform on maternal-infant research on environmental chemicals is contributing towards improved understanding of the impact of chemicals on the health of children and vulnerable populations.112 Ongoing research raises important questions about policies based on “acceptable” exposure levels for children, considering the impacts of even very low levels of toxic exposure.113 70. The Special Rapporteur was encouraged to learn that 71 per cent of Canadian children understand complex environmental issues, including issues related to nuclear waste and air pollution, and that 81.5 per cent of children 12–17 years old feel confident to express their own ideas and opinions.114 71. Canada already generates data on health inequalities, recognizing their existence and increases in certain instances. Measures to address such inequalities include developing environmental policies and decision-making, monitoring, integrating an equity-sensitive approach, strengthening collaboration between environmental and health entities, concentrating more on exposure hotspots when implementing environmental laws, carrying out targeted interventions that address the needs of vulnerable populations, giving due regard to procedural rights in environmental matters and securing the participation of disadvantaged populations in decision-making processes.115 72. Unfortunately, no socioeconomic mapping has been done by the Government of the proximity of sources of exposure to toxics with indigenous peoples or others at elevated risk, such as low-income or minority communities. Disaggregated data, including economic and social indicators for ethnic minority groups, indigenous peoples and non-citizens, 116 consistently collected and maintained, would support monitoring and evaluation regarding actions to achieve environmental justice.117 For example, comprehensive health studies have not been undertaken on all communities affected by the oil sands in Alberta by either the federal or the provincial authorities. That said, the Special Rapporteur notes, however, the attempt made by Alberta to conduct a comprehensive health study about a decade ago. 73. Initiatives such as the Northern Participant Funding Program, which supports the informed engagement of indigenous governments and other northerners in the environmental and socioeconomic assessment processes established under land claims agreements in three territories, are promising, as are similar programmes supporting indigenous participation in federal environmental assessments in the provinces. 118 It may be useful to scale up such initiatives for socioeconomically disadvantaged populations and to implement them throughout Canada. 74. Neither the Canada Consumer Product Safety Act nor the Canadian Environmental Protection Act require producers to identify, on labels for non-food consumer products, 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 A/74/480 and A/HRC/30/40. Submission by Joanna Mestre (2019). A/74/480 and A/HRC/30/40. www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/environmental-workplace-health/environmentalcontaminants/human-biomonitoring-environmental-chemicals/maternal-infant-researchenvironmental-chemicals-mirec-study/findings.html. Bruce Lanphear, “Low-level toxicity of chemicals: no acceptable levels?”, PLOS Biology, vol. 15, No. 12 (December 2017). www.canada.ca/content/dam/phac-aspc/documents/services/publications/science-research/key-healthinequalities-canada-national-portrait-executive-summary/key_health_inequalities_full_report-eng.pdf. www.euro.who.int/__data/assets/pdf_file/0018/404640/WHO-report-SUMMARY-ENGWEB.pdf?ua=1. CERD/C/CAN/CO/21-23. E/CN.4/2003/56/Add.2 and CERD/C/CAN/CO/21-23. www.rcaanc-cirnac.gc.ca/eng/1545150205116/1547478360408. 15