Poilievre dismisses Bill C-39 as all talk, no action at outset of Commons debate

Poilievre dismisses Bill C-39 as all talk, no action at outset of Commons debate BILL CURRY DEPUTY OTTAWA BUREAU CHIEF OTTAWA PUBLISHED 3 HOURS AGO Open this photo in gallery: Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre speaks in the House of Commons. The Conservative Leader did not say how his MPs plan to vote on Bill C-39, noting his caucus would study the proposed legislation. 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. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre dismissed the government’s new economic bill as all talk and no action, predicting it will not deliver on ambitious promises to fast track major projects. In a speech to the House of Commons, he criticized the government’s bill but did not say how Conservative MPs plan to vote on the proposed legislation. Mr. Poilievre said his caucus would study the bill. The Commons began debate Wednesday on Bill C-39, the Building Canada Strong Act, which was introduced Monday on the first sitting day since members of Parliament returned to Ottawa following the summer recess. Prime Minister Mark Carney has said the bill would simplify and condense the approval process for major projects so that companies would get a decision within a year. He has also called the bill the most consequential economic legislation of the current Parliament. Bill C-39 expands on concepts introduced last year in Bill C-5, which included the Building Canada Act. That legislation outlined a process for fast tracking projects if they are deemed by cabinet to be in the national interest. Both bills outline conditions under which projects can be exempt from policies under the Impact Assessment Act, which was approved by Parliament in 2019 as Bill C-69 under then-prime minister Justin Trudeau. AFN criticizes federal push to set timelines for major project approvals The energy sector as well as the Alberta and Saskatchewan governments have long criticized C-69 as a disincentive for investment and the Conservative Leader and his MPs have often criticized it as the “no more pipelines” act. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and representatives of Canada’s oil and gas sector welcomed the Liberal government’s Bill C-39 this week. Environmental groups have widely condemned the proposed legislation. Transportation Minister and Government House Leader Steven MacKinnon, who introduced the bill, began the debate on Bill C-39…