Parliament returns from summer break with major economic bill

Parliament returns from summer break with major economic bill DAVID BAXTER OTTAWA THE CANADIAN PRESS PUBLISHED 21 MINUTES AGO Open this photo in gallery: Prime Minister Mark Carney arrives on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Monday. ADRIAN WYLD/THE CANADIAN PRESS COMMENTS SHARE SAVE FOR LATER Listen to this article Learn more about audio Log in or create a free account to listen to this article. Members of Parliament returned from their summer break Monday with trade tensions hanging over the country, a new but undefined alliance with Europe on the horizon, and a Liberal government ready to push an aggressive agenda to get major new infrastructure approved. Buoyed by strong polling numbers and a trio of recent by-election wins that saw him increase his majority government, Prime Minister Mark Carney said last week his government will begin the session by introducing the Building Canada Strong Act. The bill – which the government has indicated will be introduced Monday afternoon – is expected to address barriers slowing down the approvals process for major projects. The legislation lands not long after Carney hosted an international investment summit that sought billions of dollars for infrastructure across the country, including data centres, ports, airports and energy projects. The legislation is also expected to make substantial changes to the Canada Labour Code. Union leaders say they’re worried about the legislation threatening the right to strike. When asked if all workers should be able to walk away from a bad deal, Carney said Monday he would not talk about the legislation before it is tabled. Carney, other world leaders launch effort to spur middle power co-operation The legislation is being presented by Carney’s government as another step in its campaign to make the economy more resilient and less reliant on the United States through measures like additional export avenues to Europe and Asia. The bill is sure to dominate much of the debate in the House of Commons this fall. Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne is also poised to introduce a new bill to extend the excise tax break on fuel and has a fall budget in the works. The first order of business for the House of Commons on Monday was for Speaker Francis Scarpaleggia to read off a long list of seats which have become vacant since the House of Commons last sat. Since the House rose for the summer in mid-June, nine MPs have stepped down and three by-elections already have…