Measure also sets thresholds for ending rail, port labor stoppages
Canada’s Liberal government introduced legislation in Parliament on Monday that would cap federal reviews of all proposed infrastructure, mining and energy projects at a single 12-month assessment by one authority, and amend Canada’s labor code to address stoppages in railways, ports and airlines.
The bill was tabled on the day Parliament resumed after a summer break. Government ministers described it as significant legislation intended to ensure Canada can kick-start construction on trade-related infrastructure, energy and mining projects — work they said is needed to spur growth, build economic resilience and allow companies to sell more of their goods to non-U.S. markets.
The legislation is the latest move in Carney’s broader push to capitalize on public-opinion support and attract investment after the collapse of US-Canada trade talks. The failed talks triggered hefty new tariffs on U.S. and Canadian goods and renewed threats from the Trump administration targeting the Canadian auto and potash sectors. In the weeks since, Carney has attracted hundreds of billions in investment pledges from domestic and global asset managers and promised to strike a deeper alliance with the European Union. His government also implemented an accelerated asset write-off provision that tax analysts said puts Canada in an attractive position as an investment destination.
The bill is aimed at two of the business community’s biggest concerns: a regulatory process that delays decisions on proposed billion-dollar projects, prompting investors to take their money elsewhere; and labor stoppages in critical sectors that exert immediate pain on suppliers and producers. Officials said one of the goals is to shake up how federal authorities handle project reviews. Going forward, the Carney administration wants all proposed infrastructure, mining and energy projects to face a single review from one federal authority, lasting no more than 12 months. Previously, it was commonplace for several departments to be involved in a project review.
In his first year in power, Carney set up an office to expedite the regulatory review of projects deemed to be in the national interest. The new legislation would extend that approach across the government and apply to all projects.
Canada “must demonstrate that we are capable of moving ahead quickly to give confidence to investors, because when Canada decides to build something, it will be done,” said Dominic LeBlanc, the minister in charge of U.S.-Canada trade and internal trade barriers. “With this legislation, we will have the right pieces in place to build infrastructure that will improve Canadians’ lives and Canada’s economy,” he added.
The bill also amends parts of Canada’s labor code to give management and unions with a history of strained relations more support and time to reach agreements. Strikes at both big Canadian railroads in recent years, and at ports in Vancouver, British Columbia, and Montreal, fueled anger from business owners because of the impact on their sales and inventories. Officials said the new legislation would spell out thresholds before the labor minister can bring an end to a labor disruption.
“In certain consequential industries, the relationship is very frayed, and we can do better as a country,” said Patty Hajdu, Canada’s minister in charge of labour policy. “So we’re going to strengthen the tools available to make sure that we can have the confidence as a country that we can solve our problems together.”
The government’s legislation drew support from Canada’s largest business group, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce. The proposed changes “reflect concerns raised across our network about the relationship between labour stability, business confidence, and economic opportunity,” said Pascal Chan, the chamber’s vice-president for supply-chain networks.