Senate adopts Carney's fast-tracked major projects bill — well before Canada Day deadline
Article content
OTTAWA — The Senate adopted Prime Minister Mark Carney's internal trade and major projects bill without amendments on Thursday, making it the first government bill to pass through all stages during the spring sitting of Parliament and receive royal assent.
That means that Carney will make good on his election campaign promise to eliminate all federal barriers to interprovincial trade by Canada Day to have 'one Canadian economy.'
Article content
Bill C-5 has two parts. The Act to enact the Free Trade and Labour Mobility in Canada, which had support across party lines in the House of Commons, aims to eliminate internal trade and labour mobility barriers in Canada.
The Building Canada Act, which would give cabinet sweeping powers to fast-track natural resource and infrastructure projects deemed in the national interest, has raised considerably more concerns from Indigenous peoples and environmental groups.
To speed up the legislative process, the Senate conducted a 'pre-study' of C-5 last week as the bill was being studied in a House of Commons committee. It was adopted at third reading in the House by a majority of MPs last Friday.
Amendments were made to the bill by opposition parties in a bid for more transparency and to exempt federal laws such as the Indian Act from being circumvented to approve major projects. Still, some Indigenous groups claimed their treaty rights might not be respected.
Article content
Mi'kmaq Senator Paul Prosper attempted to stall the rapid adoption of C-5 by moving an amendment that the bill include the principle of 'free, prior and informed consent' from First Nations, Inuit or Métis peoples before nation-building projects can move ahead.
'I am confident that, by investing a few more months into this bill and ensuring that rights holders had an opportunity to share their thoughts and offer renditions, we would have seen this bill pass with overwhelming support. But I suppose now we will never know.'
Quebec Senator Pierre Dalphond argued that the government had to take 'bold action' quickly with C-5 to reinforce Canada's economy and create jobs, given the current trade war caused by U.S. President Donald Trump and the layoffs occurring as a result.
'I trust the courts to stand firm and intervene if the government falls short of its obligations to our Indigenous peoples,' said Dalphond, a former court of appeal judge.
Article content
Prosper's amendment was defeated, as were all the other proposed amendments in the Senate. Having the upper chamber propose amendments to C-5 would have forced MPs to return to the House to vote on them before the bill could receive royal assent, expected Friday.
Many senators complained about the rushed process to adopt C-5, which did not leave them with enough time to properly review the legislation.
'I wish that we had not rushed this bill,' said Paula Simons, a senator from Alberta, in a speech. 'I wish the Senate had been allowed to provide true sober second thought, to assure Canadians that this was the best possible legislation.'
Her Quebec colleague, Julie Miville-Dechêne, said, either way, the Senate was 'stuck.'
'When we propose improvements to a bill, we're told we don't have the legitimacy to do so because we are unelected. When a bill is quickly passed, as is, we're told that this demonstrates our complete uselessness,' she lamented.
Article content
A new Angus Reid Institute poll shows that C-5 has broad support among Canadians, although there are some concerns about how major projects will be approved.
'This is not a carte blanche. When asked about specific elements of the bill… there is some pushback, particularly around the trade-off of shortened environmental assessments in the name of speeding up approval,' said Angus Reid president Shachi Kurl.
The data show that nearly three-quarters of Canadians (74 per cent) said they support fast-tracking projects. Half (49 per cent) of respondents said they oppose bypassing environmental reviews, and 30 per cent are opposed to overriding provincial oversight.
Kurl said there might be potential regional downfalls in condensing environmental reviews. 'Quebecers and British Columbians in particular are concerned about the notion of a so-called 'national override' (to) see projects to the finish line,' she said.
Article content
A majority of Canadians (59 per cent) believe major projects should require consultation from Indigenous communities, but they should not be offered a full veto to block them.
'Ultimately, it will come down to which projects are proposed, where, and whether enough of a political and social coalition can be built to see them through,' said Kurl.
Angus Reid conducted the online survey from June 20-23 among a randomized sample of 1,619 Canadians. The margin of error is more or less two points, 19 times out of 20.
National Post
calevesque@postmedia.com
Latest National Stories
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Winnipeg Free Press
38 minutes ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Turk Enterprises buys Horizon International
TURK Enterprises Ltd., a temperature-controlled freight company based in St. Andrews, has acquired Horizon International Distributors. The deal will take effect on Canada Day. Turk Enterprises will expand its fleet and service capacity, a news release reads. Horizon International Distributors is based in Winnipeg. The company began 30 years ago. — Free Press staff
CBC
5 hours ago
- CBC
Premier Smith says Albertans' desire for leaving Canada has never been higher
Social Sharing Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says the public desire in her province to quit Canada has never been higher. Speaking Thursday to reporters in Calgary, Smith said Albertans feel deeply frustrated and angry with Ottawa. She cited a separatist candidate who garnered almost 18 per cent of the vote in a byelection in the Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills riding earlier this week. "I've never seen such a high level of separatist sentiment," she said. Smith said the byelection result was record-breaking in terms of separatist support, but a 1982 byelection in the same Alberta riding saw a separatist candidate win with more than 40 per cent of the vote. She said the fact that her United Conservative Party candidate won Monday's byelection means the public wants her to work with Prime Minister Mark Carney's government. Asked what her government could do to quell separatist desire, Smith said it was Ottawa's responsibility — as it was following that 1982 byelection. "A couple of years later, after (then-prime minister) Brian Mulroney got rid of the National Energy Program, the sentiment evaporated," she said. "This is really in Ottawa's hands." The present-day equivalent to that program — which introduced price controls and hiked the federal share of tax revenue from oil production — is several laws that Smith said stifle energy production and investment in Alberta. In recent months, she has called for Carney to abolish several federal policies and programs, including a proposed emissions cap, net-zero electricity grid regulations and the West Coast tanker ban. "If Ottawa wants to work with me to cause that [separatist] sentiment to subside, then we need to materially address the nine bad laws that have created that negative investment climate," she said. "If they make the changes that we're requesting, then I suspect they can take the air out of that movement." Speaking alongside Smith was federal Internal Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland. Asked what she thought of Smith's assessment, Freeland said she hopes Albertans will see recently passed legislation to speed up the approval process of major projects as a sign that Canada has reached a "turning point." "I think we are on a really good path recognizing we need to be united," Freeland said. "We need to find ways to build Canada. "With that approach of positive intent — a shared recognition of the challenges Canada is facing, Alberta is facing — I really think that we are at the beginning of a new chapter where we're going to get a lot more done a lot faster." Smith said Ottawa's legislation, which passed in the Senate Thursday, gave her hope that change was happening. Earlier this week, Smith announced a 15-member panel that would tour the province this summer to gather ideas on how Alberta can fight federal overreach. It's an endeavour that former premier Jason Kenney did in 2019. Smith has said her panel is using Kenney's as a jumping-off point. Smith's panel will discuss creating a provincial pension plan, police force and tax collection agency. The panel is also polling Albertans on creating its own immigration permit system that would cut off non-approved immigrants from accessing provincially funded services like health care and education.
Canada News.Net
5 hours ago
- Canada News.Net
Two First Nations Setting Up Encampment Near Proposed Bridge to Ring of Fire
A political decision one thousand kilometres from Jeronimo Kataquapit's home in a remote First Nation near James Bay set the course for his summer. Now, the 20-year-old from Attawapiskat First Nation, his father, mother and older brother are headed upriver in two 24-foot freighter canoes on a 400-kilometre journey to "reassert First Nations' presence" near the Ring of Fire region in northern Ontario, reports The Canadian Press. The family hopes to make it to their final stop, near a proposed bridge over the Attawapiskat River, by Saturday. There, they will meet a contingent from Neskantaga First Nation as the two communities unite to build a quasi-permanent encampment-and make a political statement. "This is our home. This is our own territory, not just Attawapiskat's, but every nation in the area," Kataquapit said in a recent phone interview with The Canadian Press, speaking from under a tarp in his canoe as his father navigated small rapids. They brought more than 200 litres of gasoline to run the 25-horsepower motors on their canoes. A generator also powers their Starlink kit that gives them access to high-speed internet from anywhere in order to document their travels on social media and stay connected to the outside world. The family left Attawapiskat on June 16 for the journey Kataquapit has dubbed "Here We Stand," which he said is a call to action to First Nations to show the federal and provincial governments they want to be consulted before any further development and mining in the mineral-rich Ring of Fire. The idea crystallized for Kataquapit in late May when Ottawa introduced Bill C-5, which Prime Minister Mark Carney's government said is designed to speed up major projects deemed to be in the "national interest." That bill, which was fast-tracked through the House of Commons and passed in the Senate on Thursday, came on the heels of the similar Bill 5 that was rammed through the provincial legislature at Queen's Park in Toronto. View our latest digests A part of that legislation gives Ontario's cabinet the power to suspend provincial and municipal laws in so-called special economic zones in order to speed up projects such as mines. Premier Doug Ford has said the Ring of Fire would be the first such zone. Both pieces of legislation prompted outrage and protests at Queen's Park and Parliament Hill by First Nations who say the bills trample their rights and ignore their concerns. First Nations across the country, particularly those in northern Ontario, have warned they could turn to blockading roads, railways and mines if the legislation is not repealed. "There's no way the governments can amend those bills,"Kataquapit said. "Get rid of it, then maybe we can discuss other things." Neskantaga First Nation members have already flown to the Ring of Fire encampment site to prepare it and they plan to head back there this week to meet Kataquapit and his family, said Chief Gary Quisess. About a dozen Neskantaga community members made their way by boat plane to the proposed river crossing, built a dock and are ready to dig in for the long haul. "It's going to be a little, small community," Quisess said. "Our message is simple: no one will cross the Attawapiskat River without our free, prior and informed consent." Neskantaga wants the governments to help its community first before agreeing on any development deal. Its nursing station flooded two months ago and remains boarded up, Quisess said. The First Nation also holds a notorious record - it has been living under a boil-water advisory for 30 years. "We live in a third world," he said. The province has proposed three roads that would connect the provincial highway system to two First Nations, Webequie and Marten Falls, as well as the mining exploration site known as Eagle's Nest inside the Ring of Fire. That proposed mine is owned by Wyloo, an Australian company. Two environmental assessments have been completed and a third one is underway for those roads. The completed reports have said the roads will take four to six years to build. Two bridge crossings of the Attawapiskat River have also been proposed. Both Neskantaga and Attawapiskat First Nations reside on the Attawapiskat River some 450 kilometres apart and they revere the waters that have provided life and sustenance for generations. They plan to live off the river and the land once entrenched near the Ring of Fire. "The river is a very sacred area, many of our ancestors are buried along the shoreline, where they lived before," Quisess said. The Canadian Press asked Ford on Thursday how he planned to get consent from First Nations on his plans to mine the Ring of Fire. He said he plans to head north some time this summer after getting an invitation from several First Nations. "Nothing's better than sitting down, maybe fishing and breaking bread, and seeing exactly how I can support them, how the province can support them so their communities can thrive and prosper and grow," Ford said. In the days before his family embarked on their journey, Kataquapit held lengthy meetings with leadership to inform the rest of the community about the provincial and federal legislation. They also made several dozen Attawapiskat First Nation flags and family flags. Those flags are painted with handprints, signatures and messages like "Kill Bill 5." Kataquapit has been planting them on the shore along the river route. Some days, his family travels nine hours and up to 60 kilometres. Other days are slower and shorter, with the canoes moving between four and seven kilometres per hour, he said. "Around this time the river really starts to dry up, so it's really shallow in some parts, so we have to get off the boat and put on our long boots and drag the boats," he said. "It's just slow and steady travel. It's been long, it's been tough, but we are going to get there to stand with Neskantaga for all First Nations." This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 26, 2025.
