Members of Parliament are back in Ottawa as debate continues on Bill C-39 and the government places new defence procurement legislation on the notice paper.
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Members of Parliament returned to Ottawa for the fall sitting week after a break, with debate set to continue on the government’s 243-page economic and labour bill, Bill C-39, and with new legislation focused on national defence and security procurement placed on the notice paper.
Bill C-39 proposes measures including creating a one-year timeline for federal project decisions, establishing zones of “national interest” where certain projects are pre-approved, and changing when the jobs minister can intervene during a labour dispute, a move intended to reduce work stoppages. The bill is expected to move to committee study, with the House of Commons set to create a special committee rather than sending it to a regular standing committee.
Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak, national chief of the Assembly of First Nations, warned the government against “abusing” its majority powers to pass the bill, saying it could affect First Nations rights if it limits mandatory consultation. Labour groups also raised concerns, including the Canadian Labour Congress, which says the proposed powers threaten the right to strike.
Bea Bruske, president of the Canadian Labour Congress, said in a statement that the International Trade Union Confederation has written to Prime Minister Mark Carney saying the proposed labour regulations are “highly likely to violate” Canada’s international labour obligations. Bruske said it should concern Canadians when labour’s international representatives warn that legislation before Parliament could put those commitments at risk, and that it is an opportunity for the government to reconsider the provisions.
CUPE said it has pledged to defy Bill C-39 if it passes without amendment. Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu said the bill will put “guardrails” around ministerial powers to intervene in a strike or lockout and force people back to work.
Procurement Minister Joel Lightbound put forward legislation on the notice paper titled “an act respecting production, procurement and investment in relation to national defence and national security.” His portfolio includes the Defence Investment Agency, created a year ago to overhaul defence procurement, as the government increases defence spending aimed at meeting a NATO target of allocating five per cent of GDP to defence annually.
On the opposition benches, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre placed a notice of motion that his party will call for the government to set a goal of Canada producing one-million barrels of diesel per day amid high fuel prices. He said in a video released Sunday that the plan would rely on emergency permits and tax relief for refining, storage and transportation, and the motion also calls for extending the fuel excise tax exemption until at least July 1, 2027. Poilievre added the government should create a strategic energy reserve with stockpiles in case shortages drive up prices.
Poilievre said Canada is the only G7 country without such a reserve, and he pointed to the International Energy Agency’s requirement that member nations maintain a 90-day supply of net fuel imports, which he said Canada is exempt from because it exports more fuel than it consumes. The evidence provided also notes that last week ended with near record-high diesel prices, with the Canadian average about $2.60 per litre, and that the current fuel excise tax pause, extended last month until Jan. 31, 2027, will gradually return to full effect on April 1, 2027.
Parliamentarians are expected to remain in Ottawa until Friday, when they return to their ridings for another constituency week that coincides with Thanksgiving.
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