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National Post
6 days ago
- Business
- National Post
Senate adopts Carney's fast-tracked major projects bill — well before Canada Day deadline
OTTAWA — The Senate adopted Prime Minister Mark Carney's internal trade and major projects bill without amendments on Thursday, making it the first government bill to pass through all stages during the spring sitting of Parliament and receive royal assent. Article content That means that Carney will make good on his election campaign promise to eliminate all federal barriers to interprovincial trade by Canada Day to have 'one Canadian economy.' Article content Article content The legislation has two parts. The Act to enact the Free Trade and Labour Mobility in Canada, which had support across party lines in the House of Commons, aims to eliminate internal trade and labour mobility barriers in Canada. Article content Article content The Building Canada Act, which would give cabinet sweeping powers to fast-track natural resource and infrastructure projects deemed in the national interest, has raised considerably more concerns from Indigenous peoples and environmental groups. Article content To speed up the legislative process, the Senate conducted a 'pre-study' of C-5 last week as the bill was being studied in a House of Commons committee. It was adopted at third reading in the House by a majority of MPs last Friday. Amendments were made to the bill by opposition parties in a bid for more transparency and to exempt federal laws such as the Indian Act from being circumvented to approve major projects. Still, some Indigenous groups claimed their treaty rights might not be respected. Article content Article content Mi'kmaq Senator Paul Prosper attempted to stall the rapid adoption of C-5 by moving an amendment that the bill include the principle of 'free, prior and informed consent' from First Nations, Inuit or Métis peoples before nation-building projects can move ahead. Article content 'I am confident that, by investing a few more months into this bill and ensuring that rights holders had an opportunity to share their thoughts and offer renditions, we would have seen this bill pass with overwhelming support. But I suppose now we will never know.' Article content Quebec Senator Pierre Dalphond argued that the government had to take 'bold action' quickly with C-5 to reinforce Canada's economy and create jobs, given the current trade war caused by U.S. President Donald Trump and the layoffs occurring as a result. Article content 'I trust the courts to stand firm and intervene if the government falls short of its obligations to our Indigenous peoples,' said Dalphond, a former court of appeal judge. Article content Prosper's amendment was defeated, as were all the other proposed amendments in the Senate. Having the upper chamber propose amendments to C-5 would have forced MPs to return to the House to vote on them before the bill could receive royal assent.
CTV News
6 days ago
- Health
- CTV News
Brazeau recovering after collapsing in Senate Wednesday due to ‘dizzy spell'
Sen. Patrick Brazeau speaks to media as he returns to his Senate office in Ottawa on Thursday, July 14, 2016. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press) Sen. Patrick Brazeau is recovering after a 'dizzy spell' made him 'briefly lose consciousness' during debate in the Senate on the government's major projects bill, a Senate spokesman said Thursday. The 50-year-old Independent senator rose to speak before falling sideways to the floor just after 4 p.m. Wednesday. Based on video of the incident, it was apparent that Brazeau knew something was wrong just before he fell. The Senate spokesman said Brazeau was taken to Ottawa's Civic Hospital and returned home later that evening. The spokesman said Brazeau is 'recovering and in good spirits.' Brazeau was alert when paramedics came to help him in the Senate chamber Tuesday afternoon, according to the spokesman. He added the senator is grateful to paramedics, Senate colleagues and hospital staff for their 'excellent' care. Speaker Raymonde Gagné suspended proceedings for roughly half an hour after Brazeau collapsed and many senators left the chamber until she reconvened the debate. Brazeau was about to speak on Bill C-5 when he fell. C-5 is a controversial bill meant to give Ottawa the power to fast-track 'national interest' project permits to boost the economy. The politically charged legislation has angered Indigenous and environmental groups who argue it does not adequately respect Charter rights and should not have been fast-tracked through Parliament. — With files from Dylan Robertson and Alessia Passafiume. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 26, 2025. David Baxter, The Canadian Press
E&E News
13-06-2025
- Business
- E&E News
White House reviewing NEPA plans across agencies
The White House is reviewing proposed rules from a host of federal agencies that would dictate how the government implements the National Environmental Policy Act, the nation's magna carta of environmental laws. The Office of Management and Budget received proposed interim final rules from agencies including the departments of Energy, Interior and Defense, and one final rule from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for NEPA 'implementing procedures,' according to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs dashboard. The reviews mark another step in the Trump administration's bid to overhaul how the federal government conducts environmental reviews at a quick pace, a move that's drawing criticism from environmental groups. Advertisement In February, the Trump White House scrapped decades' worth of rules at the Council on Environmental Quality that governed how agencies conduct reviews under NEPA for power plants, pipelines and other energy projects. In its place, the administration offered up voluntary guidance that legal experts noted was light on details.
CTV News
06-06-2025
- Business
- CTV News
A look at selenium as exploratory drilling gets green light
Calgary Watch Recent approval for exploratory drilling at the Grassy Mountain coal mine has brought a lot of public debate, specifically over the potential for selenium.
CTV News
05-06-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Dresden landfill bill fast tracked at Queen's Park
Dresden landfill bill fast tracked at Queen's Park Provincial legislation to help fast-track a highly contentious landfill in Dresden, Ont. was passed on Wednesday.
