Ottawa introduces bill for one-year project reviews and labour changes

The federal government introduced Bill C-39 on Monday, proposing a one-year timeline for many federal project reviews alongside changes to trade-corridor planning and labour rules in federally regulated industries.

According to the September 21 announcement, the Building Canada Strong Act would require federal reviews and decisions to be completed within one year after a proponent submits a comprehensive application.

The bill would also create a process to designate strategic trade corridors, establish a transportation project office and make changes to port governance. The government says the proposed law would retain environmental standards and existing obligations to consult Indigenous Peoples.

Labour provisions would amend the Canada Labour Code and add enforcement capacity. The government says it plans to hire 100 health and safety officers and 26 staff at the Canada Industrial Relations Board, while increasing action on worker misclassification.

Bill C-39 has been introduced in Parliament but is not yet law. It follows federal assessment-rule changes announced earlier in September; the parliamentary text and committee process will determine the final scope.

Illustrative image: project planning. Photo by Daniel McCullough via Unsplash; resized.