Overview
- After fast-tracked passage through the House and Senate, Bill C-5 received royal assent on June 26 and immediately became law.
- The law lets the federal cabinet list “national-interest” projects and exempt them from most federal environmental statutes before formal assessments.
- Assembly of First Nations National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak and other Indigenous leaders criticized the limited consultation and potential erosion of treaty rights.
- Prime Minister Mark Carney defended the legislation as essential to address an economic crisis triggered by the trade war with the United States.
- Cabinet is soliciting project proposals from provinces and planning an engagement session with First Nations on July 17 before formal designations.