xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish) & səl̓ilwətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Territories/VANCOUVER
A new federal bill aimed at expediting so-called “nation-building” projects could do more harm than good, environmental lawyers at West Coast Environmental Law say.
“Bill C-5 flies in the face of everything we know about responsible, democratic decision making and could end up doing more harm than good to Canadians,” said Anna Johnston, Staff Lawyer at West Coast Environmental Law. “Deciding to approve projects before making sure they are sound is like building a house and then calling an architect to ask if you got it right. Who would feel safe in that house?”
Bill C-5, tabled today in the House of Commons, purports to counter the economic impacts of U.S. trade tariffs by allowing the federal Cabinet to fast-track projects deemed to be of “national interest” by automatically approving them – something the oil and gas industry has been asking for years. A minister will issue conditions on the approval, but it is unclear what review processes will entail, and there are no requirements to allow the public to have a say about projects that affect them.
“We know from past experience that rushed approvals without proper assessment of risks are a recipe for conflict, legal challenges, and future environmental disasters,” said Jessica Clogg, Executive Director & Senior Counsel at West Coast Environmental Law.
“This is absolutely a moment for significant, durable public investments that move us toward a resilient, fair and sustainable future," said Jessica Clogg. “But running roughshod over democratic process and Indigenous rights to ram through dirty fossil fuel projects – as some provinces have proposed – is the last thing Canadians need right now.”
“Bill C-5 tosses aside the notion of informed decision making, the precautionary principle and the imperatives of reconciliation, the climate crisis and democratic decision making,” said Anna Johnston. “It circumvents the longstanding processes that projects usually go through to ensure their safety and shuts the public out of decisions that affect them.”
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For more information, please contact:
Jessica Clogg, Executive Director & Senior Counsel
604.601.2501, jclogg@wcel.org
Anna Johnston, Staff Lawyer
604.340.2304, ajohnston@wcel.org
Ben Dodd, Senior Communications Specialist
604.684.7378 Ext 245, bdodd@wcel.org