Bill C-5 jeopardizes democratic process, environmental protections, and Indigenous rights: reaction from Climate Action Network Canada

Unceded Anishinaabe Algonquin Territories [OTTAWA], 6 June 2025:

As Canada’s largest network of climate, environmental, labour unions, faith groups and Indigenous organizations, Climate Action Network Canada is deeply alarmed at the proposals in Bill C-5’s Building Canada Act, announced today by Prime Minister Mark Carney. This proposed process for projects deemed “in the national interest” would directly undermine environmental protections, while shutting down democratic decision-making. Respecting the rights of Indigenous Peoples, ensuring clean air and water, and upholding due process are not “red tape”: they are the foundations of a healthy democracy, and protect true nation-to-nation relationships.

As Prime Minister Carney spoke inside Parliament, the air quality just outside was among the worst in the world, due to smoke from the devastating wildfires across British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. These wildfires were made 5 times more likely due to climate change caused by the burning of fossil fuels.

Among its many flaws, Bill C-5 does not require that decision-makers consider a project’s potential adverse environmental effects when deciding whether or not it is in the national interest. This glaring absence is a clear abdication of the federal government’s environmental obligations. This Bill reinforces the false dichotomy between the economy and the environment, and will allow proponents of projects to argue that their economic benefits are more important than properly assessing their climate and environmental impacts.

The energy transition must be accelerated—but that requires that governments do things right the first time. This means ensuring that affected communities have a say in projects affecting their lives and livelihoods. Species at risk and threatened ecosystems cannot be sacrificed in the name of national identity. Indigenous Peoples must not simply be “consulted”: they are rights-holders on their territories and must give their free, prior, and informed consent.

We call on all parties in the House of Commons and the Senate to properly evaluate the sweeping changes proposed by this Bill, and to stand firm against attempts to provide shortcuts to extractive industries.

Quotes:

Alex Cool-Fergus, National Policy Manager, Climate Action Network Canada:

“Green-lighting major projects up front, before asking how they would affect communities, is nonsensical. It’s in the national interest to allow for public participation, uphold Indigenous rights, and protect our shared climate, lands, waters, and air—not to rush through risky resource extraction projects. Bypassing democratic norms under the pretext of a “crisis” is a tactic as old as time. This government must do better.”

Anna Johnston, Staff Lawyer, West Coast Environmental Law:

“Bill C-5 flies in the face of everything we know about responsible decision making and could do more harm than good to Canadians. Deciding to approve projects before making sure they are sound is like building a house and then calling an architect to ask if you got it right. I wouldn’t feel safe in that house.”

David Roy, Executive Director, Workshops for Biodiversity:

“Major project decisions should align with Canada’s biodiversity commitments outlined in the 2030 Nature Strategy—not bypass them. While we understand the importance of accelerating certain developments, doing so without robust environmental and Indigenous safeguards risks undermining public trust and long-term outcomes. Nature protection and climate action are the true nation-building project Canada needs.”

France-Isabelle Langlois, Executive Director, Amnistie internationale Canada francophone:

“Amnesty International is deeply concerned about the direction taken by the Canadian government, who, under the pretext of energy sovereignty, appear willing to advance extractive industry projects and others by weakening evaluation criteria and shortening approval timelines. This contravenes their international obligations to uphold the right of Indigenous Peoples to free, prior, and informed consent.”

Marc-André Viau, Director of government relations, Équiterre:

“To be considered to be in our national interest, projects must truly benefit Canadians. To allow us to travel faster by train from one region of the country to another, to help our cities better adapt to wildfires and floods, to ensure that all Indigenous communities have access to clean drinking water, to connect communities across the country to a renewable energy grid. To be truly transformative, national interest projects must benefit Canadians while also serving our economic, social, and environmental objectives. A taxpayer-funded pipeline to export our natural resources for the profit of multibillion-dollar private corporations is pretty much the opposite of a national interest project.”

Jamie Kneen, National Program Co-Lead, MiningWatch Canada:

“This is a time for bold, decisive moves—not for throwing more fuel on the fires that are overtaking our forests and communities. We can’t win a race to the bottom with a US regime that respects no laws or limits. It’s time to take an independent and fundamentally different approach: one that builds a strong, sustainable economy by protecting nature, not wrecking it; by supporting communities, not bulldozing them; and by building truly respectful relationships with Indigenous peoples, not steamrolling them or trying to buy them off. That would be a “Canada brand” worth selling to the world.”

Keith Stewart, senior energy strategist, Greenpeace Canada: 

“We should be fast tracking climate solutions, not fossil fuels. To even consider designating oil and gas expansion projects as in the national interest is a slap in the face to not just the next generation, but every Canadian struggling right now to deal with climate change-fueled wildfires. Climate change is making life more expensive and the air harder to breathe, so why double down on what’s causing the problem?”

Liz McDowell, Senior Campaigns Director, Stand.earth:

“While we are ready to champion transformative investments that will make our economy more resilient, align with climate change commitments, and make everyday life better for Canadians, Bill C-5 is the wrong approach to take. Building new oil and gas infrastructure in 2025 is just asking for more wildfire-filled summers and expensive climate disasters. And pushing aside Indigenous rights and environmental safeguards in the rush to build megaprojects will only lead to legal challenges, broken trust with Canadians and, ultimately, costly delays. We are calling on the federal government to go back to the drawing board on bill C-5.”

France Pomminville, Executive Director, Climate Reality Canada:

“Canada’s choice should not be between economic development and environmental protection, but rather to build a true societal project rooted in renewable energy, climate justice, and respect for Indigenous rights. Fast-tracking large-scale projects without strong safeguards for public participation and environmental assessments moves us away from that vision. There is still time to build a future that lives up to our climate commitments—one that puts the health, safety, and well-being of communities at the heart of decision-making.”

Dr. Melissa Lem, President, Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE) :

“As healthcare professionals and climate advocates, we’re deeply concerned that this legislation could accelerate approval for fossil fuel projects at precisely the moment when wildfires and extreme weather are threatening Canadian communities. Any legislation that claims to serve the national interest must prioritize the health of Canadians by ensuring rigorous environmental assessments and respecting Indigenous rights, rather than expediting projects that will increase climate pollution.”

Shanaaz Gokool, Executive Director, Leadnow:

“This isn’t what Canadians voted for with the Carney government. Bill C-5 is yet another example of how governments rig the system in favour of oil and gas corporations — the same ones who are jacking up energy prices and driving climate disasters, and making people in Canada foot the bill for all of it. We need to build this country better, and the path to that is investing in our communities so we have a shot at a decent future, not making it easier for corporations to bypass meaningful Indigenous consultation or sovereignty rights or trample on our environment, in their quest to expand their bottom lines.”

Susan O’Donnell, Spokesperson, Coalition for Responsible Energy Development in New Brunswick:

“Canada has an opportunity to take a sustainable path forward that includes informed consent by Indigenous nations for all extractive projects, reducing energy demand by eliminating energy waste and maximizing energy efficiency, adding only low-cost renewable energy with storage to electrical grids, eliminating the development of fossil energy, phasing out nuclear energy, and supporting solidarity actions with communities experiencing harmful impacts of our energy choices across Canada and globally. A better world is possible. We are concerned that bill C-5 is taking us on a different path.”

Amara Possian, Canada Team Lead, 350.org:

“As forest fires rage across the country and choke our communities with smoke, the government must reject fossil fuel expansion that worsens the climate crisis and violates Indigenous rights. If we’re building Canada, let’s do it right by fast-tracking partnerships with Indigenous nations to build a clean, East-West electricity grid. That’s real nation building: affordable, reliable renewable energy that strengthens our sovereignty and projects our future.”

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