This article is a summary of our official submission to the review process of Bill C-39. We cover what the bill is, what changes it proposes and why the Wilderness Committee urges all Members of Parliament and committee members to reject it.

For a full reading of our submission, click here.

 

Across the country on November 12, groups are rallying together in the fight to protect the environment and climate, Indigenous rights and the rights of workers. You can find an event near you using your postal code. 

 

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What is Bill C-39, the Building Canada Strong Act?

Bill C-39, officially titled the Building Canada Strong Act, is a major “omnibus” economic and regulatory bill introduced in the House of Commons of Canada by the federal government on September 21, 2026. 

An omnibus bill is a single proposed law that combines many diverse or unrelated topics, or spending measures into one package. Due to an omnibus bill’s wide reach, it necessitates careful reading and review of the powers it wishes to grant several regulatory bodies and the federal government.

The House of Commons Legislative Committee is currently holding active panel discussions and review sessions of Bill C-39. A clause-by-clause review will begin on November 16.

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What does Bill C-39 cover?

There are three components in the bill. This is a non-exclusive list of changes in each:

• Build Canada Now:
  • Covers review process and deadlines for major projects, citing one year to completion from approval date.
  • Expands on “national interest” designation by introducing a framework to fast-track and pre-approve development, broadening the “project of national interest” designation to now cover entire regions.
  • Amends the Impact Assessment Act, allowing work to start on major projects before finishing a full review and allowing the federal government to waive conditions set under the Species at Risk Act.
• Keep Canada Moving:
  • Designates national trade corridors.
  • Amends the Canada Transportation Act and the Canada Marine Act.
• Canada Strong For All:
  • Amends the Canada Labour Code to target and reduce work stoppages and strikes in federally regulated industries.

For a full review of all the proposed clauses in the bill, click here.
 

 

Bill C-39 is another example of a sinister tactic Prime Minister Mark Carney learned from President Donald Trump, called “flooding the zone.” 
 

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Why does Wilderness Committee oppose this bill?

• In summary, we oppose and reject Bill C-39 because they reject the spirit of the bill in touting efficiency above all else.
• By removing the rules that are designed to require projects (of national interest or otherwise) to account for the damage they do to ecosystems, the bill prioritizes “building” over potential and irreversible damage “to local and Indigenous communities, species at risk, ecosystems, workers and the shared climate.”
• We also disdain the bill’s attempts to reduce worker rights by removing their ability to strike or reducing their ability to negotiate. Per the official submission, these changes do not “make workplace disputes disappear or make workplaces safer.”
• Meanwhile, the combined weight of all these proposed changes reduces the public engagement and review process, which will directly impact Indigenous Peoples’ rights to meaningful consultation for projects built on their land.
• As a result, we urge all Members of Parliament and committee members to reject this destructive bill and to prioritize the people, places and species in Canada over corporate interests and profits.

For a review of the relevant clauses to our raised concerns, read the full submission here.