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Carney Tables Bill C-5 to End Interprovincial Trade Barriers and Expedite Major Projects

It aims to strengthen economic sovereignty in response to escalating U.S. tariffs.

The Calgary Chamber of Commerce is warning the federal government that its proposed cap on emissions from the oil and gas sector could compromise the valuation of the Trans Mountain pipeline. Workers position pipe during construction of the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion in Abbotsford, B.C., on Wednesday, May 3, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
Prime Minister Mark Carney makes his way through the foyer of the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Thursday, June 5, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
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Prime Minister Mark Carney arrives to hold a press conference on Parliament Hill  in Ottawa on Friday, June 6, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

Overview

  • Introduced on June 6, Bill C-5 enacts the Free Trade and Labour Mobility in Canada Act along with the Building Canada Act to recognize provincial rules as federal standards and remove internal trade barriers.
  • The legislation establishes a federal major projects office tasked with coordinating reviews and cutting approval timelines for energy and infrastructure undertakings from five years to two.
  • Cabinet will designate projects in the “national interest” based on factors such as economic benefit, Indigenous participation, climate impact and national security to grant them conditional upfront approval.
  • The Assembly of First Nations and environmental groups warn that the fast-track process could undermine treaty consultation obligations and weaken environmental protections.
  • Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre signals potential support for the bill while criticizing it as too limited compared with calls for a broader regulatory overhaul.