Poilievre Dismisses Bill C-39 as ‘All Talk, No Action’ as Commons Debate Begins

By: Ebenezer Adugyamfi / Emmanuel Ayiku for GhanaianNewsCanada

September 24, 2026

OTTAWA, Canada — Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has criticized the federal government’s new economic legislation, arguing that Bill C-39 does not go far enough to remove what he describes as barriers to major development projects in Canada.

The Building Canada Strong Act, introduced by Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Liberal government earlier this week, is designed to speed up federal approvals for major infrastructure and natural-resource projects and provide businesses with greater certainty when investing in Canada.

Debate on the legislation began in the House of Commons on Wednesday, with Poilievre questioning whether the government would deliver on its promise to accelerate projects.

Poilievre argued that Canadians have heard similar promises before, pointing to Bill C-5, which was introduced previously with the aim of fast-tracking projects considered to be in the national interest.

He said more than a year had passed since the introduction of that legislation without a new major project receiving approval through the process.

The Conservative leader also criticized Bill C-39 for not repealing the Impact Assessment Act framework that Conservatives have long opposed.

He further argued that the legislation does not eliminate the federal industrial carbon tax and questioned provisions that could allow extensions to proposed project-approval timelines.

Poilievre said his caucus would study the roughly 250-page bill before deciding its position.

What does Bill C-39 propose?

The federal government says Bill C-39 is intended to make it easier and faster to build major projects in Canada while maintaining environmental protections and Indigenous rights.

Under the proposed legislation, federal reviews and decisions for qualifying projects would be completed within one year after a proponent submits a comprehensive application.

The government also proposes a “one-window” approach that would give a single federal project assessor responsibility for coordinating certain assessments and approvals.

The legislation would also establish a more coordinated federal consultation process with Indigenous communities.

According to the government, the reforms are intended to reduce duplication, provide greater certainty for investors and help attract capital to Canadian infrastructure, energy and natural-resource projects.

Labour provisions also face opposition

Bill C-39 goes beyond major-project approvals. It also proposes changes to Canada’s labour laws.

The government says the labour measures would strengthen collective bargaining, expand mediation and dispute-resolution tools and provide a clearer framework for government intervention in exceptional labour disputes with significant national consequences.

However, labour organizations have raised concerns about provisions they say could affect workers’ ability to strike.

During the Commons debate, NDP MP Heather McPherson cited concerns from organizations including the Canadian Labour Congress, Unifor, the United Steelworkers and Teamsters Canada.

The government, meanwhile, maintains that the proposed measures are intended to strengthen labour relations and encourage negotiated settlements rather than routinely intervene in disputes.

A major test for the Carney government

Bill C-39 is expected to be one of the major pieces of legislation debated in Parliament during the fall sitting.

The Liberal government has presented the bill as part of its broader strategy to attract investment, expand infrastructure, develop natural resources and reduce delays in getting major projects built.

The Conservatives are questioning whether the proposed changes will produce the results promised by the government.

The legislation will continue through second-reading debate before MPs vote on whether to send it to a parliamentary committee for further study and testimony from experts and stakeholders.

For Canadians, the debate over Bill C-39 could have implications for the pace of major infrastructure and energy projects, investment decisions, environmental assessments and labour relations across federally regulated industries.