Months ago, Prime Minister Mark Carney delivered a speech that fed us with a sense of optimism, and a hope that a balance will finally be restored.
A balance between environment preservation, economic progress and social justice.
Quoting one of the Liberal Government’s commitments, “Protect nature where it protects us, including by implementing nature-based climate solutions which deliver measurable carbon sequestration and biodiversity benefits, while supporting community resilience”.
The reality is quite different.
The recently approved Bill C-5 gives Canada the ability to approve industrial projects (oil and gas pipelines, mines etc.) without proper review which:
- severely undermines environmental protection by sidestepping federal environmental statutes,
- neglects Indigenous rights by risking consultation processes becoming even more superficial—mainly focusing on mitigation measures and conditions rather than approval or consent, and
- silences public participation.
The projects deemed as ‘National Interest’ under this Bill circumvent any requirement to carry out impact assessments on whether a project must go ahead; instead, they only focus on how a project must go ahead. This infringes upon Indigenous Rights and risks consultations becoming even more superficial, focusing mainly on mitigation measures and conditions rather than approval or consent.
Led by the ex-CEO of Trans Mountain, the Federal Government recently announced the Major Federal Projects office to identify these projects. The goal is to approve timelines for major projects from five years to two, which raises the worry of inadequate consultation, and violations in several federal environmental statutes.
Hear us out
Economic progress does not need to equate to environmental devastation. We recognize that building a Nation’s economy and self-reliance is incredibly important in the face of a volatile political climate, however, Bills like C-5 are not the solution. It undoes the progress Canada has made over the years—dishonouring environmental commitments and Indigenous rights.
The consequences reach beyond the marine ecosystem, with coastal communities seeing a rise in shipping—with increased risks of oil spill, contaminant pollution, chronic health risks due to light and sound pollution, disruption of food systems, and so on. The Salish Sea is already burdened with heavy vessel traffic due to expanding LNG shipping due to the Transmountain Pipeline, Tilbury and Cedar LNG, among others and will see a steep rise as more projects are fast-tracked under this Bill.
The Salish Sea needs greater protection, not less.
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 fulfil 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.
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.