OTTAWA — CHRIS SEVERSON-BAKER, executive director of the Pembina Institute, made the following statement in response to the federal government’s tabling of Bill C-5 on June 6:
“Canada faces several massive challenges: national sovereignty and security threats, economic uncertainty, a worsening climate crisis. While we support urgently advancing nation-building projects to deliver solutions for Canadians, Bill C-5 requires key amendments if it’s to serve its intended purposes. We should only fast-track projects if they set us up for long-term economic success, uphold Indigenous rights, and help do our share to address climate change.
“In the past, building more fossil fuel infrastructure — in particular, pipelines — was an obvious choice, because everything was fossil fuel powered, and it seemed like it always would be. But now, the oil and gas sector faces a sustained decline, with global demand for oil set to peak in the 2030s, if not sooner. These projects have a very material risk of becoming stranded assets. It’s also worth questioning whether oil and gas build-out benefits Canadians in the ways we’ve been told. When oil and gas profits skyrocketed post-pandemic, new investment and jobs didn’t. Instead, companies increased the returns to shareholders.
“Support from Indigenous communities — through free, prior, and informed consent — is a critical requirement for project viability under this legislation, as per the criteria the Prime Minister’s Office laid out on June 2. These projects should help advance, not hinder, the critical work of reconciliation with Indigenous peoples.
“Bill C-5 should be considered a short-term solution. After three years of the act in place, Canada should revisit and improve existing project approval processes, in order to execute projects via thoughtful, strategic, and equitable long-term decision making. Meantime, to qualify for fast-tracking, projects should have a very low risk of becoming stranded assets, catalyze the most private capital, provide the best outcomes for Canadians, and have the most mitigatable environmental and social impacts.”
In addition to specific amendments to sections 5, 7, 20 and 24, the Pembina Institute proposes 6 concrete nation-building focus areas government should advance in this critical time: electricity, transportation, a national transit plan, housing and retrofits, a Sustainable Jobs Action Plan, and commitment to Indigenous leadership.
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Read the Pembina Institute’s complete Bill C-5 Policy Brief.
Contact
Brendan Glauser
brendang@pembina.org
Senior Director, Communications, Pembina Institute
604-356-8829
Background
Op-ed: “Clean electrification is the nation-building project we need”
Federal Election 2025 policy brief: “A critical moment for Canadian resilience, security and prosperity”
Media release: “Clean energy can help Canada build a strong economy, fight climate change: Throne speech"
