Tories poised to help feds push major projects bill through Parliament
The federal Conservatives are poised to allow the Liberals to rush their trade and major projects bill through the House of Commons by next Friday.
Along with removing federal barriers to internal trade, Bill C-5 would allow the federal government to conditionally approve projects it deems 'in the national interest' before regulatory processes take place and also exempt projects from many environmental laws.
All other opposition parties are staunchly opposing a government order that aims to force C-5 through the House of Commons before summer break. But with the Conservatives' support, the Liberals may have the majority vote they need.
Conservative MPs did not say outright whether they would support the Liberal motion, and took jabs at certain aspects of the legislation. But they did praise some elements of the bill in between criticisms referencing the 'lost Liberal decade' and calls to go further and eliminate environmental regulations.
Conservative MP Gérard Deltell even congratulated Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc for tabling the bill, adding that the bill's aim to ensure each project only goes through one environmental assessment is something the Conservatives have been suggesting for years.
'That's a principle we agree with' and 'precisely the approach that the minister is now proposing,' Deltell said in French.
The two politicians' brief, friendly exchange illustrated a shared interest on the major projects portion of Bill C-5 and hinted at an unusual Liberal-Conservative alignment after a decade of fierce opposition.
The Liberals and Conservatives are joining together to 'deny democracy' by rushing the major projects bill through the Parliament, said BQ MP Xavier Barsalou-Duval
Bloc Québécois MPs were quick to dub the apparent alignment on this bill a Conservative-Liberal coalition.
'What's going on in the House is a bit of a show of Conservatives opposing Liberals and vice versa, but ultimately, it's a coalition between the Conservatives and the Liberals working together now, limiting debate on this bill,' BQ MP Andréanne Larouche said in the House of Commons.
Despite being a minority government, the Liberals are acting like they have a majority, BQ MP Xavier Barsalou-Duval said on Friday.
The government's special time-allocation motion to force Bill C-5 through the House of Commons would greatly limit debate on the proposed legislation, which, along with approving major projects before an environmental assessment, also grants the government sweeping powers to override laws related to those projects.
'Parliamentary committees will just have one and a half days to study this bill,' Barsalou-Duval said. 'Witnesses will appear before the committee without there being enough time to propose amendments. … That is madness, and yet, that is what we are being asked to consider.'
The Liberals and Conservatives are joining together to 'deny democracy,' he said.
'They're trying to ram through a bill that has never been debated before the public. No one has been able to look at the bill in detail,' Barsalou-Duval said.
BQ Leader Yves-François Blanchet said the Liberals adopted a Conservative agenda and are working with the Conservatives to put it in place.
'Given the scale and the importance and the unprecedented scope of this bill, a detailed examination is in order,' Blanchet said in French. 'It shouldn't be done on the back of a napkin on a sunny June 12 day.'
LeBlanc and House Leader Steven Mackinnon both justified the time allocation motion by saying the government was elected on a mandate to move quickly on projects of national interest and remove federal trade barriers.
Carney said last week his government would not impose a project on a province, but the wording of the bill does not require consensus from provinces.
Like the BQ, the NDP is calling on Carney to slow down and split the bill into two sections for study: one on trade barriers and one on project approvals.
NDP House Leader Alexandre Boulerice said earlier this week that the bill is 'like Stephen Harper's dreams coming true.'
Debate on the time-allocation motion will resume on Monday and the federal government made another motion intended to ensure a vote is forced by the end of the day.
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