Citizen Submissions on Enforcement Matters

Canada, Mexico and the United States cooperating to protect North America's shared environment.

Bringing the Facts to Light
A Guide to Articles 14 and 15 of the North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation

The North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation (“NAAEC”) Articles 14 and 15 (known as the “Citizen Submissions on Enforcement Matters”, or “SEM” process) include procedures allowing any “non-governmental organization or person […] residing or established in the territory of a Party” to make submissions to the CEC Secretariat asserting “that a Party [to the NAAEC] is failing to effectively enforce its environmental law.” The CEC has published “Guidelines for Submissions on Enforcement Matters” (the “Guidelines”) explaining these procedures.

The SEM process is neither adversarial, nor is the CEC Secretariat a court. The CEC Secretariat cannot make determinations or “rulings” on the merits or demerits of assertions raised in a Submission, including whether a Party may be failing to effectively enforce its environmental law. Rather, the CEC Secretariat is an independent and neutral body tasked with efficiently administering the process set out in NAAEC Articles 14 and 15. When the Council approves a Secretariat recommendation that a Factual Record be produced, NAAEC Article 15(4) and the Guidelines (paragraph 12) set out what types of information are to be included.

Latest updates

Latest news

19/11/2009
Quebec Mining
The thirty-day term expired without the Secretariat receiving a submission that conformed to Article 14(1). Under guidelines 6.2 and 6.3, the process was therefore terminated. [More information >>]

2/11/2009
Wetlands in Manzanillo
The Secretariat received a revised submission and began to analyze it. [More information >>]

20/10/2009
Quebec Mining
The Secretariat notified the submitter(s) that the submission did not meet all of the Article 14(1) criteria and the submitter(s) had 30 days to provide the Secretariat with a revised submission that conforms with Article 14(1). [More information >>]

15/10/2009
Skeena River Fishery
The Secretariat acknowledged receipt of a submission and began a preliminary analysis of it under the guidelines. [More information >>]

9/10/2009
Wetlands in Manzanillo
The Secretariat notified the submitter(s) that the submission did not meet all of the Article 14(1) criteria and the submitter(s) had 30 days to provide the Secretariat with a revised submission that conforms with Article 14(1). [More information >>]

Status page >>

16/10/2009
CEC receives a submission on commercial salmon fishery by-catch on the Skeena River, British Columbia

8/09/2009
CEC receives a submission on the environmental management of mining remediation and redevelopment in Quebec

30/07/2009
CEC receives a second submission on Los Remedios National Park

15/07/2009
CEC issues determination on the Minera San Xavier submission

14/04/2009
CEC issues determination in the Drilling waste in Cunduacan submission

More news >>

Active files
Coal-fired Power Plants (SEM-04-005) Date filed: 20/09/2004 Party concerned: United States	Environmental Pollution in Hermosillo II (SEM-05-003) Date filed: 30/08/2005 Party concerned: Mexico
Ex Hacienda El Hospital II (SEM-06-003) Date filed: 17/07/2006 Party concerned: Mexico	Ex Hacienda El Hospital III (SEM-06-004) Date filed: 22/09/2006 Party concerned: Mexico
La Ciudadela Project (SEM-08-001) Date filed: 22/02/2008 Party concerned: Mexico	Lake Chapala II (SEM-03-003) Date filed: 23/05/2003 Party concerned: Mexico
Los Remedios National Park II (SEM-09-003) Date filed: 16/07/2009 Party concerned: Mexico	Quebec Automobiles (SEM-04-007) Date filed: 3/11/2004 Party concerned: Canada
Skeena River Fishery (SEM-09-005) Date filed: 15/10/2009 Party concerned: Canada	Species at Risk (SEM-06-005) Date filed: 10/10/2006 Party concerned: Canada
Transgenic Maize in Chihuahua (SEM-09-001) Date filed: 28/01/2009 Party concerned: Mexico	Wetlands in Manzanillo (SEM-09-002) Date filed: 4/02/2009 Party concerned: Mexico

Factual records
ALCA-Iztapalapa II (SEM-03-004) Date filed: 17/06/2003 Party concerned: Mexico Latest update: The final factual record was publicly released. (2/06/2008)
Aquanova (SEM-98-006) Date filed: 20/10/1998 Party concerned: Mexico Latest update: The final factual record was publicly released. (23/06/2003)
BC Hydro (SEM-97-001) Date filed: 2/04/1997 Party concerned: Canada Latest update: The final factual record was publicly released. (11/06/2000)
BC Logging (SEM-00-004) Date filed: 15/03/2000 Party concerned: Canada Latest update: The final factual record was publicly released. (11/08/2003)
BC Mining (SEM-98-004) Date filed: 29/06/1998 Party concerned: Canada Latest update: The final factual record was publicly released. (12/08/2003)
Cozumel (SEM-96-001) Date filed: 17/01/1996 Party concerned: Mexico Latest update: The final factual record was publicly released. (24/10/1997)
Metales y Derivados (SEM-98-007) Date filed: 23/10/1998 Party concerned: Mexico Latest update: The final factual record was publicly released. (11/02/2002)
Migratory Birds (SEM-99-002) Date filed: 19/11/1999 Party concerned: United States Latest update: The final factual record was publicly released. (24/04/2003)
Molymex II (SEM-00-005) Date filed: 6/04/2000 Party concerned: Mexico Latest update: The final factual record was publicly released. (8/10/2004)
Montreal Technoparc (SEM-03-005) Date filed: 14/08/2003 Party concerned: Canada Latest update: The final factual record was publicly released. (23/06/2008)
Oldman River II (SEM-97-006) Date filed: 4/10/1997 Party concerned: Canada Latest update: The final factual record was publicly released. (11/08/2003)
Ontario Logging (SEM-02-001) Date filed: 6/02/2002 Party concerned: Canada Latest update: The final factual record was publicly released. (5/02/2007)
Pulp and Paper (SEM-02-003) Date filed: 8/05/2002 Party concerned: Canada Latest update: The final factual record was publicly released. (5/02/2007)
Río Magdalena (SEM-97-002) Date filed: 15/03/1997 Party concerned: Mexico Latest update: The final factual record was publicly released. (11/12/2003)
Tarahumara (SEM-00-006) Date filed: 9/06/2000 Party concerned: Mexico Latest update: The final factual record was publicly released. (9/01/2006)