Bill C-39 Clears Its First Commons Vote and Heads to Special Committee

The House of Commons has approved Bill C-39, the Building Canada Strong Act, on its first vote and sent the 243-page package to a special committee for study, as reported Oct. 8, 2026 The Globe and Mail.

The bill would give Ottawa broader powers to fast-track projects judged to be in the national interest. It would expand a one-project, one-review, within one-year approach for major infrastructure plans — one coordinated federal review rather than separate reviews running in sequence.

Ottawa says the goal is greater speed, certainty and predictability in project reviews Government of Canada. Its shorthand for the approach is "one project, one decision, in one year" Government of Canada.

The detailed rules sit in Part 1, which deals with project evaluations. Division 1 of Part 1 changes the Impact Assessment Act Parliament of Canada, the federal law that sets how Ottawa reviews large projects for environmental and other effects. The related changes would simplify reviews for certain projects, including pipelines and new international power lines.

Support for the bill is conditional. The Conservatives voted with the Liberals to move it forward. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said his party will bring forward several amendments at committee. He wants decisions on projects in six months to a year.

The labour rules are the main point of dispute so far. Bill C-39 would change the Canada Labour Code, the law for workplaces under federal rather than provincial rules, to reduce work stoppages in federally regulated sectors. NDP Leader Avi Lewis said the bill should be scrapped. Lewis said it threatens the right to strike.

The government says it will uphold its treaty obligations under the bill. It also says the bill sets limits on when the jobs minister can step into a labour dispute.

The file is moving in both chambers. Parliament publishes the first-reading text for the 45th Parliament, 1st session on its DocumentViewer. That session began May 26, 2025. On Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026, the Senate adopted a motion beginning "That, notwithstanding any provision of the Rules, previous order or usual practice".

The broader context here is that the committee stage will carry unusual weight. Sending the bill to a special committee, rather than a regular standing committee, puts review of the project list, fast-track powers for ministers and Labour Code changes in one place. For lawyers and project planners, the detailed clause-by-clause study will matter more than the Commons vote just taken.

Looking at what this means for passage, Conservative votes provided the majority to advance the bill, but Poilievre's plan for amendments points to talks over timelines and approval conditions. A call to shorten the federal decision to six months to a year would test department staffing and coordination with provinces and Indigenous rights-holders. The government will need to show how faster decisions can fit with its promise to uphold treaty obligations.

In my view, the Labour Code section will shape how long the package lasts politically. Ottawa describes ministerial action as limited and controlled. Labour groups and the NDP describe the same rules as a limit on the right to strike in federally regulated workplaces. That gap in reading will be hard to close with committee wording alone. Expect close attention to what triggers action, how long orders last and what review is available afterward.

For federalism watchers, the national-interest designation is the power to track. It places more choice in Ottawa's hands, while building still depends on provincial reviews, permits and power-grid connections. The mention of pipelines and new international power lines points to that overlap between jurisdictions. How the committee sets eligibility, consultation and conditions will affect whether the one-project, one-review plan shortens timelines in practice.