The 13-member council would advise the Minister on whether the new impact assessment regime, which came into force in August 2019 under the Impact Assessment Act, was achieving its intended objectives.

As a first step, the council would examine the governance of the regime, the early planning phase for impact assessments and regional and strategic assessments, the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada said in a statement on Monday.

The council would submit its first report to Wilkinson by June 2021 and every two years thereafter.

Other members are Lesley Griffiths, Kate Darling, Carl Braun, Christa Lemelin, Pierre Baril, Roxanna Benoit, Diana Lewis, Keith Storey, Anna Johnston, Martin Olszynski, Somia Sadiq and president of the Impact Assessment Agency David McGovern.