Carney's major projects bill passed. Now he says 'the real work begins'

David Thurton · CBC News

· Posted: Jul 03, 2025 2:02 PM EDT | Last Updated: 6 hours ago

Now that Bill C-5 is the instrumentality of the land, Prime Minister Mark Carney says "the existent enactment begins" to fast-track large projects. Here's what comes adjacent — and what experts accidental needs to happen.

Parliament passed the measure earlier it roseate for the summer. The 2nd fractional of the bill, the Building Canada Act, enables the national furniture to prime projects deemed to beryllium successful the nationalist interest, o.k. them upfront and override national laws, biology reviews and the permitting process.

Those provisions astir large projects look pushback from critics, who pass the measure weakens biology protections, law rights and ideology itself. 

The authorities hasn't yet announced which projects volition beryllium fast-tracked. Sources archer CBC News that ministers are gathering passim the summertime down closed doors to instrumentality Carney's vision.

WATCH | When volition the large projects beryllium named?: 

It volition beryllium proceeding from "provinces, territories and Indigenous proponents over the summertime to solicit projects that conscionable the criteria of the act," Crown and Indigenous Relations Minister Rebecca Alty said successful the Senate earlier the measure was passed.

Carney has framed C-5 arsenic indispensable to combat the urgent economical menace posed by U.S. President Donald Trump to Canada's steel, car and earthy resources sectors. 

"We are successful a crisis," Carney said aft the measure cleared the House of Commons with assistance from the Conservatives. "If you don't deliberation we're successful a crisis, spell to Sault Ste. Marie. Go to Hamilton. Go to Windsor. Go to immoderate lumber oregon forestry project. There's much coming."

But depending connected who you ask, the urgency to get gathering has existed agelong earlier Trump. They accidental Carney and his furniture would bash good to support up the momentum for years to come.

Stuck successful the 'slow lane'

"There are a fig of failed projects astir the country," said Jay Khosla, who has served arsenic senior assistant lawman curate astatine Natural Resources Canada and the Privy Council Office. 

Khosla is present enforcement manager of economical and vigor argumentation astatine the Public Policy Forum. The think-tank produced a roadmap named Build Big Things, which lays retired successful stark presumption that Canada has fallen down its peers successful GDP per capita growth.

"A large origin of this lagging maturation is Canada's bloated regulatory burden," the study notes. "Canada has been mostly contented to muddle on successful the dilatory lane."

WATCH | Bill C-5 passes: 

Khosla rattled disconnected galore operation projects that person been envisioned but not yet proceeded, specified arsenic captious mineral mines successful Ontario's Ring of Fire, lipid and state accumulation disconnected the seashore of Newfoundland and transmission lines that could bring renewable powerfulness crossed the country. 

If Carney is superior astir pursuing done with this predetermination committedness to "build, baby, build," Khosla said cabinet should promptly merchandise its database of projects and dismantle the hurdles proponents face.

He says the premier curate and the country's apical civilian servants volition request to intimately ticker for neglect points successful the system, erstwhile those projects are named.

"I would beryllium asking for a database that I could enactment successful my vest pouch oregon a ticker portion connected my surface each day," Khosla said. 

Making clip for Indigenous rights

However, addressing concerns astir Indigenous law rights seems to beryllium the contiguous absorption of the government, aft respective First Nations leaders panned however the measure was passed. 

In an interrogation with CBC News, Assembly of First Nations National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak accused Carney of rushing the measure successful a period when chiefs were engaged addressing wildfires and evacuating their communities. 

Woodhouse Nepinak called for amended consultation. 

WATCH | Senator felt 'painted into a corner': 

"Dialogue happens some ways. Not 1 mode ramming thing through," she said.

As the nationalist main notes, not each Indigenous Peoples reason assets development.

For instance, 1 Inuit-owned task is hoping to beryllium deemed successful the nationalist interest.

The proponents of the Kivalliq Hydro-Fibre Link privation to link Nunavut's mainland communities to Manitoba's powerfulness grid and articulation the remainder of the state successful enjoying high-speed fibre-optic internet. 

The corp aims to physique a 1,200-kilometre transmission enactment from Manitoba, linking astatine slightest 5 Nunavut hamlets and mines. Several open-pit golden mines run successful the Kivalliq region. Those mines and their adjacent communities pain diesel for energy and heat. 

"We're acceptable to go. We've been acceptable to spell for a fig of years," said Anne-Raphaëlle Audouin, CEO of the Nukik Corporation.

Carney volition beryllium holding summits with Indigenous leaders successful Ottawa, starting with First Nations representatives on July 17. 

He hinted past period that this volition beryllium "the archetypal measurement successful that process" of identifying the precedence projects.