Tories poised to help feds push major projects bill through Parliament
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.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Montreal Gazette
41 minutes ago
- Montreal Gazette
Libman: Much at stake for Quebec party leaders in Arthabaska byelection
Many Gazette readers might have trouble locating the largely rural Arthabaska riding on a map, but we'll be hearing a lot about it in the days ahead. Located between Montreal and Quebec City, advance voting begins there this weekend for an Aug. 11 byelection to replace Coalition Avenir Québec MNA Eric Lefebvre, a recently elected federal Conservative MP. The byelection is a critical test for Quebec's main political parties and their leaders. Over the past 25 years, the riding has shifted between the Parti Québécois, Liberals, Action démocratique and CAQ. And this byelection offers the possibility of a breakthrough for the provincial Conservatives, with party leader Éric Duhaime potentially making his grand entrance into the National Assembly. The Conservatives finished second here in the 2022 vote with an unknown candidate. Duhaime is the standard bearer this time, and polls show his party neck and neck with the PQ. At a candidates debate last week, he was the centre of attention and primary target of the others, usually the sign of a front-runner. The former radio shock jock has the gift of the gab and would light things up in the assembly. This is Duhaime's best shot. If he doesn't win, the Quebec Conservative Party he has resurrected over the past few years will likely go back in hibernation. For the PQ, anything short of a win will be interpreted as a stalling of the party's momentum, after leading in the polls for almost two years now and having won the last two byelections (Jean-Talon and Terrebonne). PQ Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon is as confident now as Pierre Poilievre was a year ago in the federal campaign — looking in the mirror, and believing the person staring back at him is the future premier ministre. The byelection will also be the first electoral test for the Liberals since choosing former MP Pablo Rodriguez as leader. There are genuine concerns about his ability to make inroads in the regions. If they fare poorly in Arthabaska — a 97 per cent francophone mother-tongue riding — questions may bubble up as to whether they made a mistake in not opting for Charles Milliard or Karl Blackburn. When asked about the regions, Rodriguez, who was a child refugee from Argentina, talks about growing up in Sherbrooke — which happens to be just south of Arthabaska. We'll see. At last week's debate, the Liberal candidate in the riding also had to fend off criticism about Rodriguez's role in the Justin Trudeau regime regarding the exaggerated influx of newcomers. As for the CAQ, it has won this riding convincingly in all five elections since the party's founding in 2012. It will likely be a very different story this time. This week's news that Quebec's auditor general is probing millions in provincial subsidies to the electric battery industry (Northvolt and Lion Electric) is another blow to a government that appears to be falling apart at the seams amid other financial fiascos like SAAQclic and Santé Québec. It's too early to call this byelection a foreshadowing of the general election that's still over a year away. Nonetheless, the results could unleash internal party tensions at the CAQ. François Legault's leadership hasn't yet been challenged from within, but you can bet his MNAs are hearing considerable grumpiness from voters during the summer break as they spend more time in their ridings. Legault seems desperately hoping for a Hail Mary with a cabinet shuffle in the fall, which he (oddly) advertised well in advance. If the byelection goes sour in a riding his party has dominated for over a decade, and his rearranging of the cabinet chairs doesn't prompt any meaningful bump in support, he will soon have an important decision to make about his future. For a seemingly nondescript byelection in the dog days of August, there are certainly many moving parts, with potentially consequential spinoffs.
Toronto Star
2 hours ago
- Toronto Star
The left needs to learn how to talk to young men — or it will keep losing them to the right
By Craig A. Johnson is the author of "How to Talk to Your Son About Fascism" (2025) and host of the podcast "Fifteen Minutes of Fascism." He teaches in the history department at the University of California, Berkeley. It takes only a few minutes of listening to right-wing politicians and podcasters to understand why their message appeals to so many young men in Canada, who increasingly feel that society has abandoned them in favour of women, racial and sexual minorities and the moneyed classes. Conservatives have sold them on the idea that they represent the true counterculture, rising up against the excesses and iniquities of the left-wing establishment that have kept them from finding a job or partner or affordable home. Meanwhile, there is a fundamental problem with the message progressives have for young men today, especially those who are cisgender, heterosexual, or white. The left has to convince young men, many of whom feel barely in control of their own lives, that they're members of a privileged class — and what's more, that the privileges they enjoy are unjust and should be dismantled. Opinion articles are based on the author's interpretations and judgments of facts, data and events. More details
National Observer
13 hours ago
- National Observer
Freeland tells MPs she is 'dismayed' by BC Ferries' decision buy Chinese ships
Transport Minister Chrystia Freeland told MPs Friday she was "dismayed" by BC Ferries' decision to purchase four new electric-diesel ships from a Chinese shipbuilder using a $1 billion federal loan — but did not call for the loan's cancellation. The House of Commons transport committee launched a study of the Canada Infrastructure Bank loan on Friday. BC Ferries announced in June that it had hired China Merchants Industry Weihai Shipyards to build the new ships after a five-year procurement process that did not include a Canadian bid. The Canada Infrastructure Bank contributed a $1 billion loan to the deal and said in June that the new ferries "wouldn't likely be purchased" without this financing. In her opening remarks before the committee Friday, Freeland said she was troubled by the planned purchase and she believes in supporting Canadian jobs. She said she has sent 71 letters directing all organizations under the Transport Canada umbrella to prioritize Canadian content in their major procurements where feasible — particularly Canadian steel, aluminum, and lumber. When Canadian options aren't available, she said, the preferred option is to buy from countries with trade deals that include reciprocal procurement agreements. Dan Albas, Conservative transport critic and committee co-chair, requested the committee study of the purchase and has asked why $1 billion in public funds was earmarked to finance overseas shipbuilding in the middle of a trade war with the U.S. Freeland said Transport Canada will soon be convening a meeting with provinces and territories, ferry owners and operators, shipyards, labour representatives and the steel industry. She said she's also assembling a second meeting with major rail operators. Freeland did not directly respond when MPs asked her whether the government would push for the cancellation of the loan. She said she agrees that this is a moment of crisis for the steel and aluminum sectors and they need the government's support. The Canada Infrastructure Bank is accountable to Parliament through Housing and Infrastructure Minister Gregor Robertson, who also testified at the meeting. In his opening remarks, Robertson told committee members that the shipbuilder was chosen by BC Ferries, not the federal government or the Canada Infrastructure Bank. He said BC Ferries conducted its own global procurement process that didn't yield bids from Canadian shipyards. Robertson said he's disappointed by BC Ferries' decision and wants to see more Canadian-built vessels and more opportunities for domestic industry to participate in major infrastructure projects. He also called the purchase a "critical" investment and said that "these ferries need to get built." Robertson assured MPs that there will be Canadian jobs associated with the maintenance of the ferries and at terminals. Robertson said the government is looking closely at how it can better align its industrial policy, procurement tools and investment incentives to "support and scale up Canadian capacity in important sectors like shipbuilding." He said the Canada Infrastructure Bank is independent of government and that most of the projects it has funded involve Canadian infrastructure and businesses. BC Ferries CEO Nicolas Jimenez told the committee that it received six compliant bids to replace its four oldest ships, all from foreign countries. While two Canadian shipyards pre-qualified for the competition, he said, neither chose to formally submit a proposal. The organization chose the proposal that offered the best combination of value, quality, delivery, speed and protections for customers, Jimenez said. "This was a choice between a foreign bid or no new ferries," Jimenez said, adding that BC Ferries spoke with officials from the federal transportation department in April about the fact that the procurement was coming to a close. Jimenez said that if the company had gone with another foreign proposal, it would have cost up to an extra $1.2 billion. Even if there had been a Canadian bid, he said, "it too would have cost more and those ships would have taken up to a decade longer." "British Columbians desperately need safe, affordable, reliable new ships to keep them and our economy moving. Our decisions have saved our customers and British Columbians from unaffordable, unnecessary fare increases," he said. Throughout the build, Jimenez said, BC Ferries will have a team of Canadian experts on site in China to ensure high standards of quality and security. Ehren Cory, CEO of the Canada Infrastructure Bank, told MPs that the Crown corporation played no role in BC Ferries' procurement decision. He said it's not the bank's role to tell project partners where they should buy their components. Cory said that regardless of where BC Ferries gets its vessels, the benefits of the Canada Infrastructure Bank's financing go directly to service users "by keeping fares more affordable and ensuring new, reliable, cleaner ships are in service as soon as possible." Jeff Groot, executive director of communications for BC Ferries, has said the company signed the loan with the bank before the contract with the Chinese shipyard was finalized. Freeland sent her B.C. counterpart, Mike Farnworth, a letter in June saying she was disappointed that BC Ferries would choose a Chinese state-owned shipyard "in the current geopolitical context," and asking him to confirm that no federal funding would be diverted to purchase the ferries. Before Friday's meeting began, Bloc MP Xavier Barsalou-Duval said he'd like to see an apology from the government and from the Canada Infrastructure Bank. He said it's "unacceptable" and "problematic" that the government plans to invest in foreign infrastructure when Canada's steel industry is facing tariffs from the United States. The new vessels are expected to join the BC Ferries fleet between 2029 and 2031. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 1, 2025.
