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Background:
In June 2025, the Government of Canada approved Bill C-5. The Bill consists of two parts:
- Free Trade and Labour Mobility in Canada Act
- Building Canada Act (BCA)
The BCA is aimed at fast-tracking major infrastructure projects that are deemed to be of ‘National Interest’. This will happen through ‘streamlined approvals’ and reduced ‘regulatory hurdles’.
Project of National Interest (PONI)
A PONI may fulfill any or some of the criteria below:
- strengthen Canada’s autonomy, resilience and security;
- provide economic or other benefits to Canada;
- have a high likelihood of successful execution;
- advance the interests of Indigenous peoples; and
- contribute to clean growth and to meeting Canada’s objectives with respect to climate change.
Wolf in policy clothing
The decision to designate a PONI lies with the Minister responsible. Once designated, the project will be exempt from following initial phases of an Impact Assessment that would consider environmental, social, economic, health and Indigenous rights impacts. Examples of such projects are oil and gas pipelines, large mines etc.
The decision now shifts from whether a project must go ahead contingent on existing federal statutes and impacts, to how a project must go ahead—focusing on post-approval mitigation conditions. This omits important Indigenous and environmental considerations and risks consultations becoming superficial focusing mainly on how to operationalise projects rather than gaining meaningful approval or consent. The approval also comes with the power to override environmental statutes such as The Fisheries Act, Species at Risk Act, Canadian Environmental Protection Act and others, which, while at times ineffective, are some of the key ways that organizations like ours can hold governments accountable.
In other words, this Bill represents an unchecked and blatant use of power that screams ‘undemocratic’. This concentrated power at the Centre dangerously reduces transparency and puts environmental priorities on the back foot, completely negating any progress we have made in the past couple of decades.
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Why is this action needed?
Due to its geography, and strategic importance as a trade route, the Salish Sea is particularly vulnerable to coastal development. As Canada seeks to diversify trade routes in response to the ever increasing tensions with our neighbours to the south, it makes a certain degree of sense to continue building a westward trade corridor.
However, the ever-growing pressure on this pristine ecosystem has put the health of the environment and the communities that depend on it at the backseat. Critically Endangered species like the Southern Resident killer whales (SRKW), which number only 73 members, and Pacific Salmon, their main prey, will be pushed closer to extinction as we see newer projects roll out. The Salish Sea is already burdened with heavy vessel traffic due to expanding LNG shipping that are a consequence of mega projects like the Transmountain Pipeline, Tillbury, and Cedar LNG, among others, and will likely see a steep rise as the Roberts Bank Terminal 2 expansion mega project moves through its permitting process.
Similar to climate change, we can think of ecosystems having a threshold, or tipping point at which it becomes incredibly difficult, and sometimes impossible, to recover from. The SRKW are a key indicator species for the Salish Sea, telling us that we haven’t had the balance right for a long time now, as we continue to prioritize the economy over the wild world.
Extinction, as we know, is irreversible, and there’s only a certain threshold until an entire system collapses and we’re risking it.
The impact of this Act is going to go beyond the beauty & aesthetic of the region, and seep into existential and biological crises.
Economic progress and the Nation’s self-reliance does not seem like a bad idea, and we can all agree with that. However, this Bill is the farthest away from a uniting solution. It is a fast-tracked recipe for disaster—dishonouring environmental commitments, Indigenous rights, and the law. The Salish Sea specifically is in need of greater protection, not less.