Call to Action!
Sign the petition! Deadline December 2nd, 2026.
The federal government has tabled an omnibus Bill, called Bill C-39, that weakens Canada’s environmental protections. For example, Bill C-39 allows construction to start before environmental risks are fully assessed, allows companies to pay for environmental damage rather than avoid it, and gives ministers greater power to bypass existing safeguards.
Strong environmental laws are needed to protect nature, wildlife, and the health and well-being of Canadians.
Please take a moment to read and sign the e-petition calling on the House of Commons to amend Bill C-39.
If you share our concerns, please share the e-petition broadly.
What are the major projects and why does this matter?
In May 2026, the federal government proposed major changes to environmental assessment law aimed at speeding up nation-building infrastructure projects, including Projects of National Interest (PONIs), provincial cooperation agreements that offload environmental review (especially concerning in provinces like Alberta), and legislative changes that would compress assessment timelines to under a year, shift review responsibility away from environmental experts, and pre-approve projects in designated economic zones. IBioS hosted two experts in July, Mae and Alex, who warned that these changes would weaken federal oversight, complicate Indigenous consultation obligations under Section 35, and risk locking in projects before impacts are understood.
In July, IBios invited two experts, Mae Price and Alex Barron, to share their knowledge on what’s happening with the Canadian Major Projects and how to get involved in influencing government actions. Read about the event here.
Read the notes taken from the event here.
News
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Sign the petition to amend Bill C-39; Deadline Dec 2
The federal government has tabled an omnibus Bill, called Bill C-39, that weakens Canada’s environmental protections. For example, Bill C-39…
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Proposed Oil Pipeline as Major Project – Comment Before Sep 18th!
On August 1st, the federal government proposed listing the West Coast Oil Pipeline as a federal ‘Major Project’. If the…
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Canadian Major Projects threats to biodiversity: A policy training, discussion and strategy workshop
July 10, 2026 | 10AM – 12PMREAD THE NOTES FROM THE EVENT to gain a better understanding of what’s happening in the federal government, how it’s…
Further information
The government proposal on major projects – May 2026
Open letter to the government by 56 fellows of the Royal Society of Canada – Oct 2026
IBioS Major Projects Zoom with Mae Price and Alex Barron Notes (What’s happening and how to get involved) – July 2026
CSEE response to major projects proposal – May 2026
How the jeopardy clause endangers species at risk act – Raincoast Conservation Foundation, May 2026
News Articles
Fast-tracking projects under Bill C-39 risks ‘irreversible harm,’ top scientists warn – The Globe and Mail, October 2026
56 top Canadian scientists push for changes to Carney’s new major projects bill – CBC, October 2026
Decisions on major projects often ignore cultural and social losses – Policy Options (written by Terre Satterfield and colleagues), June 2026
Fast tracking major projects puts our environment at risk – National Observer (written by Sally Otto and colleague), June 2026
Canada is greenlighting extinction and calling it progress – National Observer, May 2026
If you have any information regarding the major projects you’d like to share on this site, please don’t hesitate to email us at info@ibios.ubc.ca