{"id":956610,"date":"2026-11-03T10:14:14","date_gmt":"2026-11-03T10:14:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/956610\/"},"modified":"2026-11-03T10:14:14","modified_gmt":"2026-11-03T10:14:14","slug":"ubc-scientists-call-on-ottawa-to-amend-building-canada-strong-act","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/956610\/","title":{"rendered":"UBC scientists call on Ottawa to amend Building Canada Strong Act"},"content":{"rendered":"

Prime Minister Carney has called Bill C-39 the most consequential piece of economic legislation in his tenure to date. But scientists across the country, including at UBC, have written to him saying that in its current form, the bill will cause “irreparable harms to species, ecosystems, natural resources, and human wellbeing and health.”<\/p>\n

Bill C-39, formally the Building Canada Strong Act, is a proposed federal law introduced to the House of Commons on Sept. 21.<\/p>\n

Fifty-six fellows of the Royal Society of Canada \u2014 Canada’s senior national and bilingual academy for distinguished scientists, artists, and scholars \u2014 are calling on the federal government to amend the bill. They say it could weaken environmental protections, warning that efforts to accelerate major infrastructure projects could come at the expense of Canada’s biodiversity and natural ecosystems.<\/p>\n

The fellows outlined their concerns and recommendations in an open letter dated Oct. 22. UBC Professors Sarah Otto, Rashid Sumaila, and Villy Christensen have signed the letter.<\/p>\n

The Ubyssey spoke to Otto, who outlined six areas of concern in Bill C-39: allowing preliminary construction activities before environmental assessments are completed; permitting financial compensation in place of restoring damaged fish habitats; making environmental conditions subject to economic and practical feasibility; expanding the designation of regions of national interest; imposing a one-year timeline for project assessments; and granting individual ministers greater authority to over environmental conditions.<\/p>\n

Concerns about Bill C-39 have also been voiced by Indigenous leaders and organizations who question whether the bill would adequately protect their rights to participate in decisions affecting their traditional territories. <\/p>\n

In a joint statement on Oct. 8, the Chiefs of Ontario, the B.C. Assembly of First Nations, the Assembly of First Nations Quebec-Labrador, and Nishnawbe Aski Nation said the legislation would “override the inherent Treaty and constitutionally-protected rights of First Nations.” They also criticized the federal government\u2019s push to pass the bill before Indigenous communities had sufficient opportunity to scrutinize it. <\/p>\n

“First Nations’ rights and responsibilities are inseparable from the health of the lands, water, fish, wildlife, and ecosystems that have sustained First Nations peoples since time immemorial. Accelerating project approvals cannot mean weakening the safeguards intended to protect them,” the statement reads. “Any path towards economic growth must respect First Nations rights, jurisdiction, and responsibilities to lands and waters.”<\/p>\n

The federal government says the changes would make project reviews more efficient while maintaining environmental standards and respecting Indigenous rights. It argues that overlapping regulatory requirements and lengthy approval processes can discourage investment and delay economic development. <\/p>\n

But that assurance has not allayed concerns among some members of Canada’s scientific community.<\/p>\n

Environment Minister Julie Dabrusin has maintained that the legislation would preserve existing environmental assessment requirements and safeguards.<\/p>\n

According to the federal government’s explanation of the bill, the legislation would establish a maximum one-year timeline for federal reviews and decisions once project proponents have submitted their comprehensive applications and finalized studies. It would also introduce a single federal approval process to establish regions of national interest to facilitate coordinated development. The government maintains that environmental standards and Indigenous rights will remain protected throughout the process.<\/p>\n


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Dr. Otto said the compressed assessment timeline could limit the opportunity for scientists and regulators to identify and consider less harmful alternatives. “[The] one-year timeline prevents that back-and-forth interaction that makes sure not just that a project gets built, but that the best projects get built.”<\/p>\n

She added that the review period may not provide sufficient time to identify missing research or request additional investigations into complex ecosystems.<\/p>\n

As part of their proposed amendments, the government says it “will explicitly allow timelines to be extended to complete Indigenous consultations.” It remains unclear whether that would apply to environmental assessments.<\/p>\n

Another concern raised in the fellows’ letter involves provisions in the bill that would allow preliminary activities like dredging, site clearing and road construction, to begin before a full a impact assessment is completed.<\/p>\n

“If you’re clearing and building a road, you’re already having the impact,” Dr. Otto said. She also said the “law is too vague” when it comes to defining preliminary activities and questioned what could be approved as such.<\/p>\n

The letter also challenges proposed changes to the Fisheries Act that would allow companies to pay fees to offset harmful effects on fish and fish habitats rather than necessarily restore affected areas directly.<\/p>\n

Dr. Otto said environmental protection should follow a mitigation hierarchy, which she explained as first avoiding damage wherever possible, followed by minimizing unavoidable impacts, and repairing affected habitats. Only then would offsets be considered.<\/p>\n

A 2025 report on the protection of critical habitats for species from the Auditor General of Canada found that Fisheries and Oceans Canada had not assessed whether its habitat offsetting plans were effective overall. More than half of the studies needed to fully identify critical habitats were overdue while federal departments had limited records of whether conversation measures were working.<\/p>\n

Dr. Otto shared a similar assessment. “Canada has a really bad track record with offsetting,” she said.<\/p>\n

Concerns raised by the fellows extend beyond individual ecosystems to the broader implications of allowing the federal government to designate regions of national interest.<\/p>\n

Under the original Building Canada Act, the federal government had five years to designate projects as being in the national interest, after which it could no longer add new projects. Bill C-39 would remove that time limit, allowing the government to continue making such designations beyond the original five-year period. <\/p>\n

Dr. Otto said that these provisions would give Dabrusin the power to dismiss environmental conditions attached to projects designated as being in the national interest.<\/p>\n

The potential consequences are particularly concerning for coastal ecosystems, said Beatrice Frank, executive director of Georgia Strait Alliance, a nonprofit environmental organization dedicated to the marine environment of the Georgia Strait.<\/p>\n

In an interview with The Ubyssey, Frank cited the Roberts Bank Terminal Two, a proposed expansion of the Port of Vancouver, as an example of a project that could be affected by the legislation. The project has undergone an extensive environmental assessment, identifying potential impacts on salmon, Chinook populations and migratory birds. <\/p>\n

A few days after Frank’s interview, the project was designated as one of national interest<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Frank said Bill C-39 would allow decisions-makers to reconsider or remove existing environmental conditions attached to projects. She also warned that increased industrial activity could add to environmental pressures that already threatened marine life in the region.<\/p>\n

For instance, she spoke about the cumulative effects of industrial development on the Salish Sea, particularly for the endangered southern resident killer whales, which face existing pressures from underwater noise.<\/p>\n

“The Salish Sea has already reached a threshold of underwater noise that is beyond the species’ survival,” Frank said.<\/p>\n

But while these whales are often the poster child when advocating for this issue, Frank also named other species that could also be impacted.<\/p>\n

“It’s salmon, it’s herrings, it’s kelp, it’s all of our communities that then will be affected by those big expansions,” she said.<\/p>\n

Beyond environmental impacts, Frank is not sure whether shorter consultation timelines would allow Indigenous governments and smaller organizations sufficient opportunity to participate “meaningfully” in decisions affecting their territories.<\/p>\n

While acknowledging that Indigenous communities can face overwhelming consultation demands, Frank said requiring multiple complex consultations within a single year could further limit their capacity to respond.<\/p>\n

“Consultation is a two-way discussion around important pieces of legislation, and this is not allowed when the timeline is so compressed.”<\/p>\n

The government argues that its proposed Crown Consultation Hub within the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada would help coordinate consultations across federal departments and reduce administrative burdens on Indigenous communities.<\/p>\n

Keith Stewart, a senior energy strategist with Greenpeace Canada, told The Ubyssey he questions the federal government’s argument that fossil fuel developments are necessary for Canada’s economic security. He said Canada is better off pursuing renewable energies if energy independence is the goal.<\/p>\n

“Wind and solar are the cheapest forms of energy in the world right now, and you cannot blockade the wind or sun in the Strait of Hormuz,” he said.<\/p>\n

Stewart said the consequences of the legislation extend beyond the policy itself: “It’s your health, it’s your future, and it’s your future livelihood.”<\/p>\n

The Build Canada Strong Act is set to undergo a review by a special committee of House of Commons this month.<\/p>\n

Standpoint Statement<\/p>\n

This article is a news report, which we define as a shorter story about events with immediate relevance, written from a detached perspective.<\/p>\n

Extended Byline<\/p>\n

Juan Pablo Sastoque Vega<\/a> was this story’s backfield editor. Sophie Gunn<\/a> was the copy editor.<\/p>\n

Apply for erasure<\/a>Send a tip<\/a>Report an error<\/a><\/p>\n

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