Canada Introduces Bill C-39 to Accelerate Infrastructure Reviews and Strengthen Trade Corridors
On September 21, 2026, the Government of Canada introduced Bill C-39, the Building Canada Strong Act. The legislation aims to complete federal infrastructure reviews within one year, designate strategic trade corridors, and enhance worker protections by adding health and safety officers and clearing labour board backlogs.
The Government of Canada introduced Bill C-39, known as the Building Canada Strong Act, on September 21, 2026. The legislation is designed to accelerate infrastructure project reviews, strengthen trade corridors, and modernize federal labour laws.
A central component of Bill C-39 establishes a requirement for federal reviews and decisions on infrastructure projects to be completed within one year of a comprehensive application submission. Additionally, the legislation will formally designate strategic trade corridors and establish a transportation project office. This office is tasked with coordinating federal permitting and advancing priority transportation projects within the same one-year timeframe.
The bill also introduces changes to the Canada Labour Code aimed at strengthening collective bargaining while fully protecting the right to strike. To support these labour reforms, the government plans to add 100 new health and safety officers, which is expected to increase inspection capacity by approximately 70%. Furthermore, twenty-six new staff members will be hired at the Canada Industrial Relations Board to clear the backlog of complaints from workers against employers.
These measures are part of a broader economic strategy. Since September 2025, 27 nation-building initiatives have been referred to the Major Projects Office, representing $200 billion in investments. Over five years, government capital investments and incentives totalling about $280 billion are expected to enable more than $1 trillion in total investment. The development of the legislation involved cross-country consultations that received over 26,000 responses and included 78 engagement sessions.