Latest news with #C-5
Winnipeg Free Press
3 hours ago
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
AFN says wildfires are forcing it to postpone annual general assembly to September
OTTAWA – The Assembly of First Nations is pushing its annual general assembly from July to September due to ongoing wildfire emergencies across the country. The decision to postpone comes as First Nations mount opposition to federal and provincial plans to fast-track major infrastructure projects as a way to shore up an economy under tariff attack by the United States. The AFN uses its annual general and special assemblies to receive mandates from chiefs on how to proceed with lobbying efforts. The AFN is hosting an emergency meeting with chiefs on Monday, where they'll be briefed on the federal fast-track legislation known as C-5. That legislation has two parts — one to break down federal barriers to internal trade and the other to fast-track major projects — and the federal government has said it intends to pass it by the end of next week. AFN National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak has expressed alarm about that timeline and has warned that First Nations have not been properly consulted. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 13, 2025.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Liberals under fire for rushing bill through Parliament to speed up resource projects
OTTAWA — Prime Minister Mark Carney's government is coming under fire for seeking to rush through a major piece of legislation that grants cabinet sweeping powers to quickly approve major projects. Government House leader Steven MacKinnon put a motion on notice Thursday that would push Bill C-5 through the House of Commons by the end of next week — leaving just one day to hear from civil society groups, stakeholders and experts. Critics charge the move is anti-democratic. In a fiery exchange in question period, Bloc Québécois House leader Christine Normandin accused Prime Minister Mark Carney of trying to "steamroll" a bill through the House that would greatly expand his own powers. "The prime minister has no right to impose C-5 under closure when the bill gives him exceptional powers unlike anything that we've seen before," she said in French. "Is that the prime minister's intention, to bypass Parliament and govern by decree like Donald Trump?' MacKinnon pushed back by saying "Canadians and Quebecers spoke loud and clear" in the last election for action to shore up the economy, in part due to the illegal trade war initiated by U.S. President Donald Trump. "We are acting in a democratic way," he said, noting the bill delivers on election promises laid out clearly in the Liberal platform. The bill includes controversial provisions that could allow cabinet to skirt existing processes and laws to fast-track approvals for projects the government deems to be in the national interest. The government aims to streamline disparate processes to limit approval timelines for big projects to a maximum of two years, boosting investor confidence. When asked about the timeline at a press conference Thursday, Energy Minister Tim Hodgson said the legislation needs to pass quickly to shore up an economy being undermined by Trump's tariffs. "We have a trade war that is affecting sector after sector after sector. Canadians' jobs are at risk. Canadians' livelihoods are at risk. And quite frankly, the prosperity of the country is at risk," Hodgson said. But NDP MP Leah Gazan said in the House of Commons foyer Thursday that the bill isn't going to build the economy out because it will trigger a series of court challenges. She called on the government to extend the time frame of the public study and do more to consult with Indigenous Peoples — something she said got shortchanged in the bill. "I'm calling on the prime minister to slow it down, to not rush a bill that has this much consequence through in five days," she said. Hodgson pointed to support for the bill from the First Nations Major Projects Coalition, which represents more than 100 First Nations seeking to have their own projects advanced, and said he is consulting privately with stakeholders. "I can tell you I've got multiple conversations going on with different rights holders and business leaders as part of my department's efforts to ensure that consultation is robust," he said. The Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs said in a statement Thursday that it has unanimously passed a resolution opposing Bill C-5. It said the organization is calling for its immediate withdrawal. "The federal government cannot cloak violations of our rights under the guise of national interest," said Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, the organization's president. "This legislation, as currently written, would be a complete betrayal of Canada's commitments under the (United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples) and the hard-fought recognition of our inherent and constitutionally protected title and rights. "It will not stand unopposed." Indigenous Services Minister Mandy Gull-Masty said there will be a meeting between the Prime Minister's Office and First Nations leaders, citing the wildfires as one reason it has been delayed. "I also want to acknowledge that because there are many communities in a critical state of wildfire and evacuation, that time will be taken to have that dialog," she said. "I know that it is the intention of the Prime Minister's Office to sit down with First Nation's leadership directly and to have the economic discussion and hear from them." But Anna Johnston, staff lawyer at West Coast Environmental Law, said the drive to push the bill through quickly is "incredibly concerning" because the government has done "very little engagement" so far on such a major piece of legislation. "The biggest concern is that it's going to give cabinet the power to approve projects before they have any information about them beyond what the proponent has decided to give the government," she said. "There's a reason why we have decisions at the end of environmental assessments and regulatory processes. It's so that governments can make informed decisions about projects that have the potential to harm Canadians and to harm the environment." Stuart Trew, a senior researcher with the left-leaning think tank Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, said the bill is "destined to end up in court" and "really bump up against the government's commitments to reconciliation with First Nations." "It seems geared to let the government ram projects through, without adequate study, without all the usual considerations about the impacts on endangered species," he said. "We should raise our eyebrows any time a government claims a national emergency in order to rush through legislation with implications as significant as this does." The legislation also looks to break down internal trade barriers and make it easier for workers to take jobs in other provinces. MacKinnon rejected a call from the Bloc Québécois this week to split the landmark legislation in two. That would have allowed the House to speed through the less contentious internal trade provisions while putting the controversial major projects portion under the microscope. Carney has vowed repeatedly to eliminate interprovincial trade barriers by Canada Day, 19 days from now. The House has been sitting for just three weeks and is currently scheduled to rise next week on June 20. MacKinnon said in a scrum on Wednesday that he has not tried to get consensus from the other parties to have the House sit any later. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 12, 2025. Kyle Duggan, The Canadian Press
Toronto Sun
a day ago
- Business
- Toronto Sun
Liberals under fire for rushing bill through Parliament to speed up resource projects
Published Jun 12, 2025 • 4 minute read Prime Minister Mark Carney answers a question during question period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Tuesday, June 10, 2025. Photo by Sean Kilpatrick / THE CANADIAN PRESS OTTAWA — Prime Minister Mark Carney's government is coming under fire for seeking to rush through a major piece of legislation that grants cabinet sweeping powers to quickly approve major projects. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Government House leader Steven MacKinnon put a motion on notice Thursday that would push Bill C-5 through the House of Commons by the end of next week — leaving just one day to hear from civil society groups, stakeholders and experts. Critics charge the move is anti-democratic. In a fiery exchange in question period, Bloc Quebecois House leader Christine Normandin accused Prime Minister Mark Carney of trying to 'steamroll' a bill through the House that would greatly expand his own powers. 'The prime minister has no right to impose C-5 under closure when the bill gives him exceptional powers unlike anything that we've seen before,' she said in French. 'Is that the prime minister's intention, to bypass Parliament and govern by decree like Donald Trump?' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. MacKinnon pushed back by saying 'Canadians and Quebecers spoke loud and clear' in the last election for action to shore up the economy, in part due to the illegal trade war initiated by U.S. President Donald Trump. 'We are acting in a democratic way,' he said, noting the bill delivers on election promises laid out clearly in the Liberal platform. The bill includes controversial provisions that could allow cabinet to skirt existing processes and laws to fast-track approvals for projects the government deems to be in the national interest. The government aims to streamline disparate processes to limit approval timelines for big projects to a maximum of two years, boosting investor confidence. When asked about the timeline at a press conference Thursday, Energy Minister Tim Hodgson said the legislation needs to pass quickly to shore up an economy being undermined by Trump's tariffs. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'We have a trade war that is affecting sector after sector after sector. Canadians' jobs are at risk. Canadians' livelihoods are at risk. And quite frankly, the prosperity of the country is at risk,' Hodgson said. But NDP MP Leah Gazan said in the House of Commons foyer Thursday that the bill isn't going to build the economy out because it will trigger a series of court challenges. She called on the government to extend the time frame of the public study and do more to consult with Indigenous Peoples _ something she said got shortchanged in the bill. 'I'm calling on the prime minister to slow it down, to not rush a bill that has this much consequence through in five days,' she said. Hodgson pointed to support for the bill from the First Nations Major Projects Coalition, which represents more than 100 First Nations seeking to have their own projects advanced, and said he is consulting privately with stakeholders. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'I can tell you I've got multiple conversations going on with different rights holders and business leaders as part of my department's efforts to ensure that consultation is robust,' he said. The Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs said in a statement Thursday that it has unanimously passed a resolution opposing Bill C-5. It said the organization is calling for its immediate withdrawal. 'The federal government cannot cloak violations of our rights under the guise of national interest,' said Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, the organization's president. 'This legislation, as currently written, would be a complete betrayal of Canada's commitments under the (United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples) and the hard-fought recognition of our inherent and constitutionally protected title and rights. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'It will not stand unopposed.' Indigenous Services Minister Mandy Gull-Masty said there will be a meeting between the Prime Minister's Office and First Nations leaders, citing the wildfires as one reason it has been delayed. 'I also want to acknowledge that because there are many communities in a critical state of wildfire and evacuation, that time will be taken to have that dialog,' she said. 'I know that it is the intention of the Prime Minister's Office to sit down with First Nation's leadership directly and to have the economic discussion and hear from them.' But Anna Johnston, staff lawyer at West Coast Environmental Law, said the drive to push the bill through quickly is 'incredibly concerning' because the government has done 'very little engagement' so far on such a major piece of legislation. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'The biggest concern is that it's going to give cabinet the power to approve projects before they have any information about them beyond what the proponent has decided to give the government,' she said. 'There's a reason why we have decisions at the end of environmental assessments and regulatory processes. It's so that governments can make informed decisions about projects that have the potential to harm Canadians and to harm the environment.' Stuart Trew, a senior researcher with the left-leaning think tank Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, said the bill is 'destined to end up in court' and 'really bump up against the government's commitments to reconciliation with First Nations.' 'It seems geared to let the government ram projects through, without adequate study, without all the usual considerations about the impacts on endangered species,' he said. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'We should raise our eyebrows any time a government claims a national emergency in order to rush through legislation with implications as significant as this does.' The legislation also looks to break down internal trade barriers and make it easier for workers to take jobs in other provinces. MacKinnon rejected a call from the Bloc Quebecois this week to split the landmark legislation in two. That would have allowed the House to speed through the less contentious internal trade provisions while putting the controversial major projects portion under the microscope. Carney has vowed repeatedly to eliminate interprovincial trade barriers by Canada Day, 19 days from now. The House has been sitting for just three weeks and is currently scheduled to rise next week on June 20. MacKinnon said in a scrum on Wednesday that he has not tried to get consensus from the other parties to have the House sit any later. Toronto & GTA Toronto Blue Jays Toronto & GTA Canada World
Ottawa Citizen
a day ago
- Business
- Ottawa Citizen
'We need to move': Liberals defend plan to ram through major projects bill before Canada Day
OTTAWA — Prime Minister Mark Carney's government is coming under fire for its plan to push its internal trade and major projects bill through the House of Commons next week at high speed. Article content Government House leader Steven MacKinnon has put a motion on notice that would push Bill C-5 through the House of Commons by the end of next week at an unusually rapid pace — leaving only a few hours to hear from civil society groups, stakeholders and experts. Article content Article content Article content If the motion is adopted, it would quickly move through debate at second reading stage and a vote, after which the bill would be referred to a House of Commons committee. Article content Article content Members of the committee would meet Tuesday and Wednesday to gather evidence from witnesses, before undertaking a clause-by-clause consideration of the legislation. Article content The expectation would be for the committee's report to be presented to the House on Thursday, and debate and a vote at third reading to happen on Friday — which is the last calendar day before all MPs will be going back to their respective ridings for the summer. C-5 would grant the government sweeping powers to quickly approve major natural resource and infrastructure projects once cabinet deems them to be in the national interest. Article content The legislation also looks to break down internal trade barriers and make it easier for workers to take jobs in other provinces. Article content Article content MacKinnon rejected a call from the Bloc Québécois this week to split the landmark legislation in two — so the House could speed through the less contentious internal-trade provisions while putting the controversial major projects portion under the microscope. Article content Luc Berthold, the deputy House leader for the Conservatives, declined to say if his party would support the fast-tracking of C-5 and said discussions between all parties were ongoing. Article content 'When a minority government decides it wants certain things, it needs to negotiate with all parties. So, we're awaiting the result of these negotiations,' he said on Thursday. Article content Bloc Leader Yves-François Blanchet said his party would oppose the motion 'with vigour.' Article content 'The kind of impetuosity from the prime minister to supercharge the legislative agenda in the short term and to bypass, from the very start of his mandate, the usual parliamentary rules are a matter of concern,' said Blanchet in French during a press conference.
Vancouver Sun
a day ago
- Business
- Vancouver Sun
'We need to move': Liberals defend plan to ram through major projects bill before Canada Day
OTTAWA — Prime Minister Mark Carney's government is coming under fire for its plan to push its internal trade and major projects bill through the House of Commons next week at high speed. Government House leader Steven MacKinnon has put a motion on notice that would push Bill C-5 through the House of Commons by the end of next week at an unusually rapid pace — leaving only a few hours to hear from civil society groups, stakeholders and experts. If the motion is adopted, it would quickly move through debate at second reading stage and a vote, after which the bill would be referred to a House of Commons committee. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Members of the committee would meet Tuesday and Wednesday to gather evidence from witnesses, before undertaking a clause-by-clause consideration of the legislation. The expectation would be for the committee's report to be presented to the House on Thursday, and debate and a vote at third reading to happen on Friday — which is the last calendar day before all MPs will be going back to their respective ridings for the summer. C-5 would grant the government sweeping powers to quickly approve major natural resource and infrastructure projects once cabinet deems them to be in the national interest. The legislation also looks to break down internal trade barriers and make it easier for workers to take jobs in other provinces. MacKinnon rejected a call from the Bloc Québécois this week to split the landmark legislation in two — so the House could speed through the less contentious internal-trade provisions while putting the controversial major projects portion under the microscope. Luc Berthold, the deputy House leader for the Conservatives, declined to say if his party would support the fast-tracking of C-5 and said discussions between all parties were ongoing. 'When a minority government decides it wants certain things, it needs to negotiate with all parties. So, we're awaiting the result of these negotiations,' he said on Thursday. Bloc Leader Yves-François Blanchet said his party would oppose the motion 'with vigour.' 'The kind of impetuosity from the prime minister to supercharge the legislative agenda in the short term and to bypass, from the very start of his mandate, the usual parliamentary rules are a matter of concern,' said Blanchet in French during a press conference. 'I would respectfully suggest that Mr. Carney's entourage inform him that one is not supposed to work in such a cavalier manner when facing a Parliament fresh from the oven,' he added. NDP MP Leah Gazan also expressed concern with the rapid pace at which the bill will be studied and what she said is a 'clear violation' of Indigenous peoples' modern treaties. 'I understand the need to respond quickly to the threats coming from the States, but the bill that's being proposed by Prime Minister Carney isn't in fact going to build the economy. It's going to wind up having different economic initiatives ending up in the courts.' Gazan said she is calling on the prime minister to 'slow down' the legislative process. Pressed on the subject during a press conference on wildfires, Natural Resources Minister Tim Hodgson defended the urgency with which the government is moving forward with it. 'I think the prime minister has been clear: we are in a trade war. We need to move as quickly as possible. Canadians are losing their jobs today,' he said. Hodgson said the bill will create employment opportunities for people who are facing the prospect of losing their jobs and stimulate the economy during the ongoing trade war. Asked by National Post why the government cannot wait until the fall to pass C-5 in order to properly consult with stakeholders and Indigenous peoples, Hodgson did not mince words. 'You should ask that to all the auto workers who are losing their jobs, to all the aluminum workers who are losing their jobs, to all the steel workers who are losing their jobs, to all the forestry products, people in small towns across the country who are losing their jobs.' 'Every day, our economy is being attacked. Every day, we are losing jobs. We need to fight for those people. We need to move,' he insisted. For its part, the Senate adopted a motion on Thursday to conduct a pre-study of C-5 from Monday to Wednesday next week. The Senate will hear from ministers Chrystia Freeland, Dominic LeBlanc and Rebecca Alty, as well as a host of other witnesses on the bill. The Senate has also agreed to speed up debate and votes, after C-5 is sent to the upper chamber, and ensures a final vote take place on Friday, June 27, at the latest. Carney, who has vowed repeatedly to eliminate interprovincial trade barriers by Canada Day, would therefore fulfill his promise. National Post, with files from the Canadian Press calevesque@ Get more deep-dive National Post political coverage and analysis in your inbox with the Political Hack newsletter, where Ottawa bureau chief Stuart Thomson and political analyst Tasha Kheiriddin get at what's really going on behind the scenes on Parliament Hill every Wednesday and Friday, exclusively for subscribers. Sign up here . Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our newsletters here .
