May 12, 2026

Carney’s new plan to Fast-Track Destruction would make Stephen Harper Blush

Quietly last Friday afternoon, the feds unveiled proposals for “Getting Major Projects Built in Canada,” a series of legislative changes that make it easier for mega-corporations to profit while our communities and the planet suffer the consequences.

Last Friday afternoon, the Carney government quietly dropped a major announcement that they hoped we wouldn’t even notice.

The feds unveiled proposals for “Getting Major Projects Built in Canada,” a series of legislative changes that make it easier for mega-corporations to profit while our communities and the planet suffer the consequences.1

Let me break it down. Here’s why we’re alarmed by this new plan to fast-track the approval for pipelines, mines, nuclear facilities, and other mega-projects:

  • A Free Pass for Pipelines: Companies proposing new pipelines would no longer need to pass an Environmental Impact Assessment prior to their project receiving approval
  • Federal Destruction Zones: Taking a page out of Doug Ford and Pierre Poilievre’s book, Carney wants to create special Federal Economic Zones where all new development is “pre-approved”
  • Habitat Decimation: This proposal seeks to suspend the Fisheries Act and Species at Risk Act that are critical laws created to protect vulnerable habitats
  • Corporations First, Communities Last: If passed, Carney’s changes will allow companies to start construction while projects are still in review, meanwhile they will rush through consultations with Indigenous peoples and communities.

Big Oil doesn’t need any more gifts at the expense of everyday Canadians. Fossil fuel companies are already gouging Canadians at the pump to fill their own pockets with windfall wartime profits.

At a time when we need the government to tax Big Oil’s wartime profits and accelerate an Indigenous-led renewable energy transition, this plan instead rewards oil and gas companies while endangering our communities, fuelling the climate crisis, and locking us into reliance on volatile fossil fuels.

Here’s the thing. We’ve seen some of this before. This latest announcement is part of a broader agenda that buckles to corporate pressure and unleashes mass deregulation.

Moves like the Building Canada Act (Bill C-5) and Bill C-15’s Henry VIII clause were laying the groundwork.

But this latest attack on environmental regulations goes even further because it would apply to all major projects, not just the chosen few that make it onto Carney’s ‘national interest’ list.

But the good news is that even though Carney tried to push this forward quietly, there’s already major civil society backlash and media attention. Even more scathing: Stephen Guilbeault, the former Environment and Climate Change Minister, called this proposal “worse than what Harper did,” and several Liberal MPs have already said that they oppose the announcement.1

We have a real opportunity to stop this disaster in its tracks – here’s how you can help: 

  1. Send an email now to make sure our MPs and Liberal Ministers hear a loud, resounding “no” to this plan to fast track destruction and climate chaos.
  2. Call or visit your MP to step up the pressure.
  3. Help spread the word by sharing our Instagram post or sharing our action on Facebook.

 

Blog by Atiya Jaffar, Canada Country Manager

Photo by Mike Graeme