Feds introduce legislation to get projects built faster

The Government of Canada introduced Bill C- 39 the Building Canada Strong Act to bring greater speed, certainty, and predictability to infrastructure project reviews, and give business the confidence to invest in Canada, accelerate projects, while reshaping the regulatory approvals process, and maintaining environmental standards and upholding Indigenous rights.

“Canada is a country of high standards, but high standards do not require slow decisions. Our government is bringing speed, certainty, and predictability to how we build, so investors know that when Canada says it wants something built, Canadians will get it built. In a more uncertain world, we will control our own future.” said Prime Minister Mark Carney.

The proposed legislation will:

• Get projects in Canada built faster by ensuring federal reviews and decisions are completed within one year of a proponent submitting a comprehensive application.
  • The legislation will establish clearer, simpler, and more predictable processes for project proponents and Indigenous groups participating in project consultations, giving investors the certainty they need to put capital to work and build in Canada.
  • This will accelerate investment, strengthen our economy, enhance energy security, and create high-paying careers for Canadians while protecting nature and the environment, and in full respect of Indigenous rights.
• Strengthen Canada’s trade corridors and ports to move Canadian goods faster, unlock new markets, and build more resilient supply chains.
  • Canada will formally designate strategic trade corridors, remove bottlenecks, and establish a transportation project office to coordinate federal permitting and advance priority transportation projects within one-year.
  • Legislative changes will also modernise port governance, advance new trade digitalization strategies, reduce administrative burdens, and create clearer, more predictable rules that attract private investment and make our ports more competitive.
  • These measures will help Canadian businesses build, and connect them to more global markets, while maintaining high standards for safety, security, and sustainability.  
• Modernize the federal labour framework and strengthen protection for workers in federally regulated industries.
  • Changes to the Canada Labour Code will strengthen collective bargaining by helping parties address issues earlier, reach negotiated agreements, and resolve disputes while fully protecting the right to strike.
  • Additional measures will modernise federal labour protections to keep pace with a changing economy.
  • The government will also be adding 100 new health and safety officers to increase inspection capacity by approximately 70%, hiring 26 new staff  at the Canada Industrial Relations Board to clear the backlog of complaints by workers against employers, and cracking down on worker misclassification with more inspectors.
  • Together, these changes will ensure workers are treated fairly, protected on the job, have greater income security, and promote stable labour relations.

Industry reaction:

“ACEC has specifically advocated for shorter approval timelines that will place greater emphasis on project management and coordination capabilities,” said John Gamble, President and CEO of ACEC. “The legislation introduced today will do exactly that.”

Featured image: Prime Minister Mark Carney greets a worker at the Alstom manufacturing plant in Thunder Bay, Ont., Sept. 3. (Lars Hagberg/Government of Canada)