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Liberal MPs still mixed on Bill C-5
Liberal MPs still mixed on Bill C-5

Toronto Sun

time2 days ago

  • Business
  • Toronto Sun

Liberal MPs still mixed on Bill C-5

The government is working to get the One Canadian Economy Act enshrined in law before the House rises for summer break on Friday. Beaches-East York MP Nathaniel Erskine-Smith speaks to reporters outside of the Liberal caucus room on Wednesday, June 18 2025 Photo by Bryan Passifiume / Toronto Sun OTTAWA — While the Tories are on board with rushing the government's 'One Canadian Economy' legislation before Parliament rises for the summer, opinions on the bill remain mixed among members of the Liberal caucus. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account While few Liberals strolling by reporters camped outside their caucus room in West Block stopped to speak, many offered support for Bill C-5, including Secretary of State for Finance Wayne Long. 'I think the country is in a crisis, and I think that we need to be bold, and we need to act,' he said on his way into the second-floor caucus room. 'We're a government of action and we need to move quickly.' The bill passed second reading on Monday, and is currently under consideration by the House Transport, Infrastructure and Communities committee. Once it clears committee, C-5 will move to third reading and then be put before the Senate for their consideration. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The government is hoping to complete the process and have the bill granted royal assent before Parliament rises on Friday. Indigenous groups are among the loudest voices in opposition to the speedy course the government has set, with Ontario Regional Chief Abram Benedict describing it as undemocratic and undermining First Nations rights. 'The government talks about truth and reconciliation, has legislation around UNDRIP (United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples,) talks about free prior and informed consent,' he said during a Tuesday news conference. 'The process being used by the federal government to introduce this legislation and bring it forward and ratified in less than two months is unacceptable. Canadians ought to be alarmed.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Jaime Battiste, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations, told reporters on Wednesday that communication is key. 'What we're hearing from Indigenous leaders is that they just want to be communicated with about this,' he said. 'The legislation reaffirms section 35 Aboriginal treaty rights — it's going to be compliant with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and that we're ensuring that the future projects have to meet the consultation test set out. Among Liberal MPs opposed to the rollout is Beaches-East York MP Nate Erskine-Smith, who earlier this week said the process to rush the bill through the House would make former Prime Minister Stephen Harper blush. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'The substantive content of Bill C-5 should be dealt with for a longer period of time in committee,' he told reporters on Tuesday, saying the process to ram C-5 through the House is the fastest he's seen in his decade in politics. 'I think it would be warranted to extend the sitting by another week and have the committee do, in the course of a week sit for a few hours every day, and that should be plenty of time to hear from Indigenous rights holders, to hear from environment rights experts, to hear from those who are proponents of the bill and say 'no, this legislation makes sense the way it is.' bpassifiume@ X: @bryanpassifiume RECOMMENDED VIDEO NHL Soccer Toronto & GTA Canada Toronto Maple Leafs

First Nations warn against fast-tracking of Carney government's ‘nation-building' bill
First Nations warn against fast-tracking of Carney government's ‘nation-building' bill

Toronto Star

time2 days ago

  • Politics
  • Toronto Star

First Nations warn against fast-tracking of Carney government's ‘nation-building' bill

OTTAWA — For the national chief of the Assembly of First Nations, the Liberal government's rushing of its major projects bill through Parliament is a little too reminiscent of the American administration the proposed law was designed to counter. 'We see that in the States, how they govern themselves, they push things through and they try and ram things through and be very aggressive. I don't think Canada needs to be like that,' Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak told the Star. 'When we're just trying to ram something through, what if we make mistakes?' Woodhouse Nepinak, who says the Carney government's fervour for its 'One Canadian Economy' bill is 'Trump-like,' said she is prepared to do 'whatever the First Nations want us to do' when it comes to responding to the proposed legislation. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW The national chief spoke to the Star on Tuesday in the midst of a demonstration on Parliament Hill, where roughly 200 people led by the Chiefs of Ontario gathered to voice their opposition to a bill now barrelling its way through the House of Commons. 'The government of Canada … has been using a process that's undemocratic, that doesn't allow for very much of anybody … First Nations or non-Indigenous, to have input into legislation,' said Abram Benedict, the Ontario regional chief for the Chiefs of Ontario. 'You've heard the leadership talk about calling upon the prime minister to sit with the rights-holders, sit with the leadership, find a pathway forward,' Benedict said. 'We have been very clear that our nations are not against development. Our nations want to be part of the prosperity of Canada.' Tuesday's protest was the latest flashpoint concerning Bill C-5, which would give Ottawa temporary powers to sidestep existing environmental laws and regulations to fast-track 'nation-building' resource and infrastructure projects. A second component of the bill deals with lifting federal barriers to internal trade and improving labour mobility across the country. The government's stated goal in introducing the legislation is to boost Canada's economy and security in the face of U.S. President Donald Trump's aggression, by speeding up approval processes while simultaneously protecting the environment and Indigenous rights. The government says projects chosen for fast-tracking could be weighed against other factors, such as ensuring they 'advance the interests' of Indigenous Peoples. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW A rare alliance between Prime Minister Mark Carney's Liberals and Pierre Poilievre's Conservatives late Monday means that the bill now has a clear runway to be passed in the lower chamber by weeks' end. 'Bill C-5 has given rise to a Conservative-Liberal coalition working for the oil companies. After years of saying that the Liberals are the devil incarnate, the Conservatives are now eating out of their hands,' Bloc Québécois MP Patrick Bonin said Monday. The Bloc, the New Democrats and the Green Party's Elizabeth May all opposed the fast-tracking efforts, warning that without proper parliamentary oversight, proposed projects would be beset by protests and mired in court challenges. As the clock approached midnight Monday, the two traditionally rival parties also joined forces to send the bill to committee, where it will be studied for a drastically condensed two-day period. In an appearance before the House transport committee late Tuesday afternoon, Woodhouse Nepinak said lawmakers should expect to see more demonstrations opposing the bill. 'Will it lead to legal issues later? Well, certainly, if you're not talking to the rights-holders,' she told MPs, adding that the bill needs more time to be reviewed. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW 'I mean, you're going to have legal wrangling right up the yin-yang if you don't do the right thing and do this bill in a proper, respectful and good way. I think Canada can save itself years of litigation if they do that.' Earlier in the day, Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc and Crown Indigenous Affairs Minister Rebecca Alty fielded questions from the Senate floor about the bill. Both ministers repeatedly pointed to two sections of the legislation that the Liberals believe shield them from criticism that they are not upholding Indigenous rights. LeBlanc referred to 'the five criteria' in the law that would determine which projects get greenlit, one of which ensures that projects advance the rights of Indigenous Peoples. The bill, as written, does not refer to those examples as compulsory criteria; it instead says the government 'may consider' anything cabinet deems relevant, 'including' the five factors listed. At committee, Woodhouse Nepinak said those factors should be made mandatory. Alty also referred to checks and balances that will be put in place after the bill's expected passage, such as creating an Indigenous advisory committee within the law's proposed 'major projects office' that will oversee the assessment process. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW 'Through the proposed major projects office, we will be centralizing knowledge and tracking of consultation activities, developing a centralized approach to identifying impacted Indigenous communities to consult, clearly identifying rights holders early in the process to reduce uncertainty and avoid delays in project timelines, serving as a point of contact for escalating consultation issues, and ensuring timely access to senior decision-makers,' Alty said, patting LeBlanc's shoulder. On the sidelines of Tuesday's protest, Liberal MP Greg Fergus, who was observing the demonstration, said he didn't expect that projects would be nixed by the Indigenous advisory council if they made it that far into the process. 'The whole point of bringing these projects forward is that they have Indigenous consent,' Fergus told the Star, 'so I expect that they wouldn't make the cut otherwise.' Nevertheless, he said he sympathized with the discontent. 'I understand, given our long history of not doing the right thing, as to why these communities would be here on the Hill to express their point of view. But I really believe, and this is sincere, that Canada has changed. There's no possible way that any big project can go through without having Indigenous consent,' Fergus said. 'I'm glad they're here, but message received.' Politics Headlines Newsletter Get the latest news and unmatched insights in your inbox every evening Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. Please enter a valid email address. Sign Up Yes, I'd also like to receive customized content suggestions and promotional messages from the Star. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Politics Headlines Newsletter You're signed up! 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Cancer group warns Carney bill could weaken health standards. Why?
Cancer group warns Carney bill could weaken health standards. Why?

Global News

time7 days ago

  • Health
  • Global News

Cancer group warns Carney bill could weaken health standards. Why?

The Canadian Cancer Society is warning the Carney government that its legislation to eliminate interprovincial trade barriers could undermine health standards unless it's amended to add new safeguards. The legislation, which the government will try to push quickly through the House of Commons next week, looks to do two things — break down interprovincial barriers to trade and labour mobility and speed up approvals for major projects. The bill would allow provincial standards to displace federal ones to make it easier to sell Canadian-made goods within the country. 5:04 Breaking down provincial trade barriers with the 'One Canadian Economy' bill Rob Cunningham, senior policy analyst at the Canadian Cancer Society, says that could lead to unintended consequences because provincial rules are sometimes weaker, and warns of a possible resurgence of products banned by federal regulation, such as those containing asbestos. Story continues below advertisement He says the bill should be changed to exempt health and environment standards to avoid weakening them across the country. The Bloc Québécois, NDP and Green Party are accusing Prime Minister Mark Carney's government of trying to ram the bill through Parliament too quickly without sufficient study.

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