Bill C-39 Passes First House of Commons Vote as Opposition and Indigenous Leaders Raise Concerns
The Carney government's 243-page Bill C-39, which aims to streamline major infrastructure project reviews nationwide, passed its first vote in the House of Commons on Thursday with Liberal and Conservative support. While Conservatives plan to propose amendments at committee, NDP and Green Party leaders, Indigenous representatives, and union officials have criticized the legislation and the exclusion of smaller parties from the special committee studying it.
Bill C-39, a key piece of economic legislation for the Carney government, passed its first vote in the House of Commons on Thursday with support from both Liberals and Conservatives. The 243-page bill proposes extending the government's "one-project, one-review, within one-year" approach to major infrastructure projects across Canada. The legislation is part of the Liberals' plan to pivot the economy away from reliance on the United States and present Canada as a reliable trading partner to overseas markets.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre stated his party would support sending the bill to committee to propose amendments. These include speeding up decision timelines to six months or a year and protecting workers' rights. Poilievre also indicated Conservatives would seek to eliminate the industrial carbon price and create shovel-ready zones with pre-permitting.
NDP Leader Avi Lewis argued that Canadians did not vote for the "wholesale rewriting" of Canada's project review process contained in Bill C-39. The special committee studying the legislation will not include representation from the NDP because they lack official party status, nor from the Green Party, despite requests from both parties. Green Party Leader Elizabeth May described the bill as the "omnibus of omnibuses" and criticized the Prime Minister's Office for being contemptuous of Parliament and lacking transparency.
B.C. Liberal MP Patrick Weiler expressed discomfort with giving cabinet power to fast-track project timelines and warned that one-year timelines could undermine the duty to consult with Indigenous communities. Cold Lake First Nations filed for a judicial review in Federal Court of Ottawa’s decision to designate the Pacific Link pipeline a project in the national interest, citing inadequate consultation. Chief Shelly Moore-Frappier of the Teme Augama Anishinabek nation called for amendments to compel Indigenous consent, eliminate consultation deadlines, and require cleanup of former industrial sites.
Bea Bruske, president of the Canadian Labour Congress, labeled Bill C-39 an attack on workers' rights, arguing it undermines unions' ability to use strikes to extract gains. Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu stated the federal government will not compromise workers' rights to strike, though she did not directly answer whether the bill imposes limits on that right.