Bill C-39 Explained: Ottawa's Plan for One-Year Project Decisions

The House of Commons began debate Wednesday on Bill C-39, the Building Canada Strong Act, two days after its introduction on the first sitting day after the summer recess.

Transportation Minister and Government House Leader Steven MacKinnon introduced the bill and opened the debate. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre followed him.

The procedure here helps explain that order. The government controls the timetable, and the Official Opposition gets the first reply.

Prime Minister Mark Carney called the bill the most consequential economic legislation of the current Parliament. He said it would simplify and shorten the approval process for major projects so companies would get a decision within a year, according to the most recent account of the debate Globe and Mail. The government says Bill C-39 will create the conditions needed for investment in projects that support jobs and economic growth Government of Canada. Parliamentary records list it as a House Government Bill in the 45th Parliament, 1st session, titled "An Act respecting certain measures to strengthen the economy." It is listed as at second reading, the stage where MPs debate the principle before detailed committee study, with first reading in the House recorded as the last major stage completed.

Hansard No. 140 documents the Sept. 21, 2026 sitting of the 45th Parliament, 1st session, and records the introduction of Bill C-39, An Act respecting certain measures to strengthen the House of Commons. The House describes its Debates (Hansard) as the transcribed, edited and corrected report of what is said in the House. That sitting sits within a Parliament that began on Monday, May 26, 2025 and is listed as continuing to the present.

On substance, Bill C-39 expands on concepts introduced in Bill C-5, which included the Building Canada Act. Both bills outline conditions under which projects can be exempt from policies under the Impact Assessment Act. That is the federal review regime Parliament approved in 2019 as Bill C-69 under then-prime minister Justin Trudeau. Think of it as an express lane: the main review road stays in place, but designated projects can use a faster route.

The office to run that route already exists on paper. Parliamentary briefing material describes the Building Canada Act and Major Projects Office as fast-tracking transformative infrastructure projects. Budget 2025 carried initiatives titled Accelerating Major Nation-Building Projects and Launching the Major Projects Office. Canada's Spring Economic Update 2026 states that nation-building projects are being accelerated through the Major Projects Office to fast-track key projects, and refers to 15 projects announced to date.

Poilievre did not say how Conservative MPs plan to vote. He said his caucus would study the proposed legislation. He said more than a year has passed since the government brought in Bill C-5 with promises of swift action and no new major projects have been approved under that process. Hansard for Sept. 21 contains the phrase "the Liberals are all talk and no action." He said Bill C-39 does not repeal Bill C-69, does not eliminate the industrial carbon tax paid by large emitters, and does not change obstacles in the existing legal framework. He criticized the bill for allowing the government to grant extensions to time limits, calling the advertised one-year turnaround on a decision an illusion.

In practical terms, that extension power will need close study. A fixed timeline with ministerial or cabinet power to extend is a common Ottawa compromise. It promises certainty while keeping flexibility for complex files, Indigenous consultation, and talks between Ottawa and the provinces. The committee questions will be narrow and technical: who can extend, on what grounds, for how long, and with what publication requirement.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and representatives of Canada's oil and gas sector welcomed Bill C-39 this week. Bloc Leader Yves-François Blanchet raised concerns about provisions in Bill C-39.

The broader context here is the shift from repeal to exemption. The Conservative demand has centred on repeal of C-69 and removal of the industrial carbon tax. The Carney approach keeps the assessment system and builds a separate lane around it for designated projects, first through C-5 and now through C-39. That helps explain both the welcome from proponents who want speed and the skepticism from critics who argue the underlying legal risk remains. The political context here also preserves room to manoeuvre: with no voting commitment yet, Conservatives can press their case through second-reading debate and committee. The Bloc objections will matter for House arithmetic and for Quebec's long-standing defence of provincial jurisdiction over environment, land use and energy. Introduction is done and second-reading debate has started. Committee scrutiny, amendment strategy and the terms of any extensions will determine whether the one-year commitment works as a firm standard or as a target that can be delayed.