Liberals under fire for rushing bill through Parliament to speed up resource projects

Leader of the government in the House of Commons Steven MacKinnon rises during question period on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Friday, June 6, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Spencer Colby

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 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?”

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 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.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 12, 2025

Kyle Duggan, The Canadian Press