Liberals table omnibus bill with sweeping changes to major project reviews and labour laws - National Post
Minister of Jobs and Families Patty Hajdu takes part in a press conference on Parliament Hill in Ottawa September 21, 2026. Photo by Blair Gable /PostmediaArticle contentOTTAWA — The federal government tabled legislation that fundamentally reorganizes how it approves major projects, promising a “one project, one review, one year” process all the while implementing sweeping changes to Canadian labour rules around collective bargaining and work stoppages.
Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government tabled a new omnibus Bill C-39, the Building Canada Strong Act, on Monday afternoon.
“Today we introduced our most significant piece of economic legislation yet,” Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon said in a press conference with other federal ministers after the bill was tabled. “This legislation will give our country the tools we need to build more, better, and more efficiently.”
Political Hack gets at what’s really going on behind the scenes on Parliament Hill. Wednesdays and Fridays.
“Our objective today is straightforward: to make it easier for Canadian businesses to build, invest, grow, and get their products to market, while creating an economy that delivers certainty, prosperity, and opportunity for all Canadians,” MacKinnon added.
The bill aims to designate yet-unspecified areas as “regions of national interest” in which major infrastructure projects would receive the same fast-track approval process as those deemed to be “projects of national interest” under legislation (Bill C-5) passed last year.
It also removes the responsibility of conducting impact assessments for major energy and nuclear projects away from the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada and puts it into the hands of specialized bodies: either the Canada Energy Regulator or the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission.
“This will provide a better look at the project as a whole, and lead to more efficiency and less consultation fatigue in the consultation process,” said one senior public servant during a background technical briefing for reporters.
