The Mackenzie Valley Resource Management Act and the development of environmental assessment in Canada

1.1 Thesis question. Is the Mackenzie Valley Resource Management Act (MVRMA) consistent with past trends in the development of environmental assessment in Canada or is it strictly an anomaly intended to address regional issues?; 1.2 Purpose of the thesis. By documenting the origins and development of environmental assessment in Canada, the objective will be to identify the elements that have formed the foundation of current environmental assessment laws and practice. Through an analysis of legislative development and changes in process, the thesis will seek to identify common threads in the development of environmental assessment. This analysis will be contrasted with the MVRMA to determine whether it is consistent with that evolution or if it is unique in its scope and substance. The findings will indicate whether the MVRMA is likely to become an extinct branch on the EA evolutionary tree or possibly represent the future direction of EA in Canada. The purpose therefore is to identify where environmental assessment has come from and by extrapolation where it is likely headed in the future. Based on this analysis, it can then be determined if the MVRMA represents the next step forward or is merely a legislative response to address regional issues. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)...