Liberals, Conservatives pass major projects legislation in House of Commons

CTV News

3 hours ago

Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks at a press conference on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, on Thursday, June 19, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/ Patrick Doyle
Conservative members of Parliament voted with the minority Liberal government to pass its marquee major projects legislation Friday evening, setting it up to become law before Canada Day.
The legislation, also known as the one Canadian economy act, would allow the government to green-light a list of projects that have been deemed to be in the national interest, fast-tracking their approvals.
The Liberals have called it the core of the government's domestic economic response to U.S. tariffs.
'This is what makes us different from the United States, this is what makes us more independent from the United States, this is what's going to move us forward,' Prime Minister Mark Carney said at a press conference after the vote, adding the legislation needed to pass quickly 'because we are in a crisis.'
'And if you don't think we're in a crisis, go to Sault Ste. Marie, go to Hamilton, go to Windsor.'
After the second of two votes in the House of Commons on Friday, Carney crossed the floor to shake hands with Opposition House leader Andrew Scheer and Conservative deputy leader Melissa Lantsman.
Two votes were held instead of one after the House Speaker ruled that the legislation had two distinct parts without a clear common element.
That allowed the Bloc Quebecois and NDP members to vote in favour of the first part of the bill -- which looks to tackle internal trade barriers -- and against the more controversial second part dealing with major projects.
The major projects bill grants the government sweeping powers to quickly approve projects that are deemed to be in the national interest.
Provincial and territorial premiers have given Carney lists of projects they want to see approved, but no national list of projects has been made public so far.
'We all agree that more fulsome conversations are needed to select the nation-building projects and to determine the conditions that they must fulfil. In other words, the real work begins now,' Carney said.
The legislation has drawn criticism from Indigenous leaders and environmental groups who say it gives too much power to the federal cabinet to bypass existing laws.
The legislation was introduced on June 6 and was pushed through the House after about eight hours of committee study on Tuesday and Wednesday.
The House transport committee did amend the bill to, among other things, remove the Indian Act from a list of laws the government can sidestep when determining whether a project should move forward.
First Nations leaders have warned the bill could violate their constitutionally protected rights and may lead to legal challenges.
Carney emphasized the need to respect the constitutional rights of Indigenous Peoples in his press conference on Friday.
'The major projects office will have an Indigenous advisory council whose core function will be to honour Section 35 rights in the implementation of this bill,' he said.
He promised to hold full-day summits with First Nations, Inuit and Metis rights-holders and leaders in the coming weeks, alongside Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Rebecca Alty and Indigenous Services Minister Mandy Gull-Masty.
'Consultation, co-operation, engagement and participation are at the heart of this bill,' he said.
The bill is now headed to the Senate, which is scheduled to sit until June 27.
By Sarah Ritchie.
With files from Kyle Duggan and Alessia Passafiume.