The House is on summer break, scheduled to return Sept. 15

One Canadian Economy Act

An Act to enact the Free Trade and Labour Mobility in Canada Act and the Building Canada Act

Sponsor

Dominic LeBlanc  Liberal

Status

This bill has received Royal Assent and is, or will soon become, law.

Summary

This is from the published bill. The Library of Parliament has also written a full legislative summary of the bill.

Part 1 enacts the Free Trade and Labour Mobility in Canada Act , which establishes a statutory framework to remove federal barriers to the interprovincial trade of goods and services and to improve labour mobility within Canada. In the case of goods and services, that Act provides that a good or service that meets provincial or territorial requirements is considered to meet comparable federal requirements that pertain to the interprovincial movement of the good or provision of the service. In the case of workers, it provides for the recognition of provincial and territorial authorizations to practise occupations and for the issuance of comparable federal authorizations to holders of such provincial and territorial authorizations. It also provides the Governor in Council with the power to make regulations respecting federal barriers to the interprovincial movement of goods and provision of services and to the movement of labour within Canada.
Part 2 enacts the Building Canada Act , which, among other things,
(a) authorizes the Governor in Council to add the name of a project and a brief description of it to a schedule to that Act if the Governor in Council is of the opinion, having regard to certain factors, that the project is in the national interest;
(b) provides that determinations and findings that have to be made and opinions that have to be formed under certain Acts of Parliament and regulations for an authorization to be granted in respect of a project that is named in Schedule 1 to that Act are deemed to have been made or formed, as the case may be, in favour of permitting the project to be carried out in whole or in part;
(c) requires the minister who is designated under that Act to issue to the proponent of a project, if certain conditions are met, a document that sets out conditions that apply in respect of the project and that is deemed to be the authorizations, required under certain Acts of Parliament and regulations, that are specified in the document; and
(d) requires that minister, each year, to cause an independent review to be conducted of the status of each national interest project.

Elsewhere

All sorts of information on this bill is available at LEGISinfo, an excellent resource from Parliament. You can also read the full text of the bill.

Bill numbers are reused for different bills each new session. Perhaps you were looking for one of these other C-5s:

C-5 (2021) Law An Act to amend the Criminal Code and the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act
C-5 (2020) Law An Act to amend the Bills of Exchange Act, the Interpretation Act and the Canada Labour Code (National Day for Truth and Reconciliation)
C-5 (2020) An Act to amend the Judges Act and the Criminal Code
C-5 (2016) An Act to repeal Division 20 of Part 3 of the Economic Action Plan 2015 Act, No. 1

Votes

June 20, 2025 Passed 3rd reading and adoption of Bill C-5, An Act to enact the Free Trade and Labour Mobility in Canada Act and the Building Canada Act (Part 2)
June 20, 2025 Passed 3rd reading and adoption of Bill C-5, An Act to enact the Free Trade and Labour Mobility in Canada Act and the Building Canada Act (Part 1)
June 20, 2025 Passed Concurrence at report stage of Bill C-5, An Act to enact the Free Trade and Labour Mobility in Canada Act and the Building Canada Act
June 20, 2025 Failed Bill C-5, An Act to enact the Free Trade and Labour Mobility in Canada Act and the Building Canada Act (report stage amendment) (Motion 19)
June 20, 2025 Passed Bill C-5, An Act to enact the Free Trade and Labour Mobility in Canada Act and the Building Canada Act (report stage amendment) (Motion 18)
June 20, 2025 Failed Bill C-5, An Act to enact the Free Trade and Labour Mobility in Canada Act and the Building Canada Act (report stage amendment) (Motion 15)
June 20, 2025 Failed Bill C-5, An Act to enact the Free Trade and Labour Mobility in Canada Act and the Building Canada Act (report stage amendment) (Motion 11)
June 20, 2025 Passed Bill C-5, An Act to enact the Free Trade and Labour Mobility in Canada Act and the Building Canada Act (report stage amendment) (Motion 9)
June 20, 2025 Passed Bill C-5, An Act to enact the Free Trade and Labour Mobility in Canada Act and the Building Canada Act (report stage amendment) (Motion 7)
June 20, 2025 Passed Bill C-5, An Act to enact the Free Trade and Labour Mobility in Canada Act and the Building Canada Act (report stage amendment) (Motion 5)
June 20, 2025 Failed Bill C-5, An Act to enact the Free Trade and Labour Mobility in Canada Act and the Building Canada Act (report stage amendment) (Motion 4)
June 20, 2025 Failed Bill C-5, An Act to enact the Free Trade and Labour Mobility in Canada Act and the Building Canada Act (report stage amendment) (Motion 1)
June 16, 2025 Passed 2nd reading of Bill C-5, An Act to enact the Free Trade and Labour Mobility in Canada Act and the Building Canada Act

Debate Summary

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This is a computer-generated summary of the speeches below. Usually it’s accurate, but every now and then it’ll contain inaccuracies or total fabrications.

Bill C-5 aims to reduce interprovincial trade barriers and expedite major projects deemed to be in the national interest, but concerns remain regarding environmental protection, Indigenous consultation, and workers' rights.

Liberal

  • Eliminate internal trade barriers: The bill aims to remove senseless barriers hindering trade and labour mobility within Canada, boosting productivity and lowering prices.
  • Build a unified economy: Liberals believe the bill is essential to create one Canadian economy, fostering trust and enabling free trade and labour mobility across the country.
  • Advance national interest projects: The bill establishes a process to identify and expedite projects of national interest with a single federal approval window, reducing red tape and uncertainty.
  • Strengthen economy against external threats: The bill strengthens Canada's economic foundations through internal trade, allowing the country to build long-term prosperity on its own terms amidst global economic shifts and tariffs.

Conservative

  • Improved bill with amendments: Conservatives passed amendments to Bill C-5, adding transparency, accountability, and guardrails to prevent conflicts of interest and ministerial overreach in project approvals.
  • Bill does not go far enough: Despite improvements, the bill is insufficient to address Canada's economic challenges, failing to effectively remove internal trade barriers or provide clear criteria for project approvals.
  • Repeal existing red tape: Conservatives argue it would be more effective to repeal existing legislation like Bill C-69, which creates red tape, instead of creating a selective shortcut for national interest projects.
  • Support small step forward: Conservatives support Bill C-5 as a small step towards progress but note its limitations and will continue to fight for real change and hold the government accountable for results.

NDP

  • Violates indigenous rights: The bill constitutes a clear breach of Indigenous rights under the Constitution and UNDRIP by allowing ministers to determine impacts and replacing treaty processes.
  • Lacks indigenous consent: The government failed to obtain free, prior, and informed consent from Indigenous peoples before adopting the bill, violating UNDRIP obligations due to an "accelerated" process.
  • Harms environment and workers: The bill risks eroding workers' rights by allowing ministers to bypass critical legislation and accelerates the climate emergency by weakening environmental standards.
  • Bill faces court challenges: The lack of consultation and violation of Indigenous rights will likely lead to court challenges, causing delays, job losses, and significant legal costs.

Bloc

  • Opposes bill C-5 process: The Bloc opposes Bill C-5, criticizing the government's use of a gag order and rushed process as serious attacks on democracy that circumvent the democratic process.
  • Allows circumventing federal laws: The bill permits proponents of designated "national interest" projects to bypass federal statutes and regulations, undermining laws protecting the public and environment.
  • Leads to opaque decisions: The party argues the bill enables opaque and arbitrary decisions by allowing the minister to designate projects and issue approvals behind closed doors without public knowledge.
  • Raises ethical concerns: The Bloc raises concerns about potential ethical breaches and appearances of conflict of interest due to the Prime Minister's financial ties to companies covered by the bill.

Green

  • Supports reducing trade barriers: The Green Party supports the concept of reducing interprovincial trade barriers and improving labour mobility across Canada.
  • Opposes weakening standards: The party opposes Part 1 because it could allow weaker provincial health and environmental standards to override stronger federal ones.
  • Opposes undefined national projects: The party opposes Part 2 because "national interest projects" are undefined, lack criteria, are decided by cabinet, and undermine Indigenous consultation.
  • Opposes excessive government power: The party opposes the bill for granting excessive and unprecedented power to the government, citing problematic clauses like clause 6.
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One Canadian Economy ActGovernment Orders

June 20th, 2025 / 5:35 p.m.

The Deputy Speaker Tom Kmiec

I declare part 1 and the short title carried.

The next question is on part 2, including the schedule, which belongs to part 2.

(The House divided on part 2 and the schedule, which were agreed to on the following division:)

Vote #34

One Canadian Economy ActGovernment Orders

June 20th, 2025 / 5:45 p.m.

The Deputy Speaker Tom Kmiec

I declare part 2, including the schedule, carried.

The House has agreed to the entirety of Bill C-5, an act to enact the free trade and labour mobility in Canada act and the building Canada act, at the third reading stage.

(Bill read the third time and passed)

One Canadian Economy ActGovernment Orders

June 20th, 2025 / 5:45 p.m.

The Deputy Speaker Tom Kmiec

It being 5:49 p.m., pursuant to order made Monday, June 16, the House stands adjourned until Monday, September 15, at 11 a.m., pursuant to Standing Orders 28(2) and 24(1).

(The House adjourned at 5:49 p.m.)