Carney's push for 'nation-building' projects moves ahead despite some Indigenous opposition

Prime Minister Mark Carney promised during the election campaign to "build big, build bold" and the legislation that would enable federal fast-tracking of major projects appears poised to clear the House of Commons despite some Indigenous opposition.

The legislation, Bill C-5, essentially gives cabinet the ability to pick certain projects to speed through the regulatory process, with an eye to projects that can deliver an economic boost to Canada, help strengthen the country's autonomy and resilience and, notably, "advance the interests of Indigenous peoples" and contribute to "clean growth."

While the bill, the One Canadian Economy Act, is expected to pass the Commons this week with Conservative support, opposition MPs made a number of amendments to the legislation Wednesday night to, among other things, make the streamlined process more transparent by forcing Ottawa to publish the conditions of approval and limiting the government's ability to allow a project to bypass certain laws.

Government House leader Steven MacKinnon said Thursday the cabinet will review the amendments quickly before deciding what it's willing to accept.

Canadians are tired of delays that have hurt economic growth and the government is determined to push ahead with the law, he said, which allows cabinet to exempt projects from provisions of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act and the Impact Assessment Law in the name of expediency.

A Conservative amendment, if adopted, means however projects must comply with other laws, like the Conflict of Interest Act and Lobbying Act.

"Under the original Liberal proposal, projects could have been approved and built that would financially benefit members of the cabinet," the party said in a statement.

The Conservatives are making changes to stop the government from "sneaking in provisions that would give themselves the power to broadly skirt the laws of the land without consequences," the party said.

The government hasn't said what exactly would be fast-tracked under this legislation — and there are no specific projects mentioned in the bill itself — but Carney has signalled support for new energy "corridors" in the east and west, which could include pipelines and electricity grids, new and expanded port facilities, mines and other resource-related initiatives.

Speaking to reporters at an announcement Thursday about measures to protect the Canadian steel and aluminum industry, Carney said C-5 is "the core of our domestic response" to President Donald Trump's tariffs.

The push to get "nation-building" projects built, many of which would require huge quantities of steel and aluminum during construction, will help hard-hit sectors weather the U.S. trade war, he said.

"It's an important piece of legislation that has massive support among Canadians," MacKinnon said. "It was at the heart of our election campaign and election platform."

While some Indigenous leaders are opposed, others are on side with the push to deliver more money and jobs to communities that stand to gain from development, MacKinnon said.

"There are Indigenous communities, Indigenous nations that want to participate — they exist all over the country and they deserve to have their voices heard," MacKinnon said.