OTTAWA — The Green Party of Canada is warning that the Carney government is preparing to bulldoze Bill C-5 through Parliament using an aggressively compressed process that leaves no time for proper scrutiny or public input, while handing sweeping discretionary powers to future governments.
“In my fourteen years as a parliamentarian, I have never seen such disrespect of Parliament, not even during the Harper years,” said Green Party Leader Elizabeth May, MP for Saanich–Gulf Islands. “There is no justification for such speed.”
Bill C-5, tabled on June 6, is a sprawling omnibus bill that combines two largely unrelated parts. One section grants Cabinet sweeping discretionary powers to designate “national interest” projects, with no legal checks on which projects Cabinet selects. The bill is being advanced as a single piece of legislation, despite combining unrelated provisions that merit separate study and debate.
Instead of allowing proper parliamentary review, the Liberals tabled a programming motion today that would force Bill C-5 through Second Reading, committee study, review of amendments, and all final votes in just five days.
“Parliament could have held hearings over the summer,” said May. “Indigenous leaders, environmental experts, and civil society voices deserve to be heard.”
Many civil society organizations, including the Canadian Cancer Society, have already raised concerns about the bill’s contents. But under the government’s rushed timeline, those concerns will receive no meaningful hearing.
Far from acting as a minority government accountable to Parliament, the Liberals appear to be pursuing this bulldozing strategy with the tacit support of the Conservatives. “It looks like the Liberals and Conservatives are the new coalition,” said May.
“This legislation will be in place for five years. If this government falls, these powers could end up going to a Conservative government, even a Poilievre Conservative government,” warned May.
“It appears nothing matters to the new government as much as speed, speed and getting their own way by hook or by crook,” said May. “They have turned this into their Big, Beautiful Bulldozer Bill.”
The Green Party is calling on all MPs, including those in the Liberal caucus, to stand up against this abuse of process and insist that Bill C-5 receive proper scrutiny and public input.
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For more information or to arrange an interview:
Laurie MacMillan
Communications Director
Green Party of Canada