The report urges use of regulations already in place in the Fisheries Act, the Species At Risk Act and the Canadian Environmental Protection Act to ensure sustainable development of the oil sands. The report was written due to a lack of recognition that Canada's federal government has a responsibility to protect the environment in areas of oil sands development, said Simon Dyer, oil sands director at the Pembina Institute.

"The recent science panel appointment on water pollution was a good first step, but now we need action to enforce the full range of federal laws in the oil sands," Dyer added.

"We keep hearing that the tar sands are the economic engine of Canada, but what type of engine drives some of its passengers over a cliff?" indicated Deputy Director of Équiterre Steven Guilbeault.

"We seem to be stuck in neutral as a country on this [oil sands] issue," Environmental Defence executive director Rick Smith said, adding, "Energy industries like to paint environmentalists as out to shut down oil production completely. That's not the case oil is going to be a transitional fuel, but we've got to talk about how to get there."