Liberals reject Bloc proposal to split Bill C-5 to speed 'consensual' lifting of internal trade barriers
OTTAWA — Government House Leader Steven MacKinnon rejected the Bloc Québécois' proposal to split Bill C-5 in two parts, so that the sections on lifting internal trade barriers and the fast-tracking of major projects can be studied separately.
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Bloc House Leader Christine Normandin said earlier this week it made little sense that the bill, in its current form, would be sent to the House of Commons committee on transport as it falls under the mandate of Minister of Transport and Internal Trade Chrystia Freeland.
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Normandin instead suggested dividing the bill to study the portions on free trade and labour mobility in one committee and the fast-tracking of major projects in the national interest in another. She said the free trade portion is 'rather consensual' and could go 'a bit faster,' whereas the major projects portion would warrant more scrutiny.
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'This is a bill that responds to economic conditions caused by the tariff war, among other things, and mobilizes premiers, mobilizes Canadians from coast to coast to coast behind projects of national significance,' he said.
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'These projects have a certain urgency, as do interprovincial trade barriers that must fall,' he added. 'This is a very comprehensive bill. We understand that it's going to be debated, but it's something that we solicited and secured a mandate for.'
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Prime Minister Mark Carney said his intention is to see the bill passed before June 20, when the House of Commons rises and MPs return to their ridings for the summer.
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'It is a top priority for this government, and we will do everything to get it passed before the summer,' he said after C-5 was tabled on Friday. 'And if Parliament needs to sit longer, it should sit longer in order to get it passed. That's what Canadians expect.'
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MacKinnon said to date there is no consensus from other parties to sit into the summer.
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The part of the bill on lifting internal trade barriers would allow a good or service that meets provincial or territorial rules to have met federal requirements but also make it easier for workers to get a federal licence by recognizing provincial or territorial work authorizations.
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The second part, which is a bit more contentious, seeks to get projects deemed in the national interest — such as highways, pipelines, mines and nuclear facilities — built faster by having only one environmental assessment done and respecting federal conditions.
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