The federal Office of the Auditor General provides for an environmental petitions process pursuant to section 22 of the Auditor General Act. The Canadian Environmental Law Association sees the process as an important way to improve Federal environmental decision-making because it allows members of the public to raise their environmental concerns directly with relevant federal Ministers. There is a guaranteed response.

In 2023, a petitioner from Port Hope, Ontario submitted an environmental petition pursuant to the Auditor General Act to seek information about federal government disclosure practices regarding radioactive nuclear contamination on public and private properties in Port Hope, Ontario. The petition sought a new approach to proactive disclosure of information so that members of the public would possess important information affecting their health.