In October, ORCIE submitted a brief to the House of Commons Legislative Committee on Bill C-39, the Building Canada Strong Act, on behalf of our 24 member congregations. A legislative committee brief is a written submission that provides opinions, comments and recommendations on a subject being studied by a parliamentary committee.
Bill C-39 would let a small number of ministers approve mines, pipelines and whole industrial regions on a one-year clock, and would make that system permanent. Our submission looks at who will live with those decisions: the First Nations whose lands would be opened to development, the communities beside each new project, and the generations who will inherit their emissions.
We ask Parliament for six amendments, including a test of every decision against Canada’s climate law, free, prior and informed consent in the bill’s text, and a vote in Parliament before any region is designated. We are now adapting the brief for the Senate committee studying the bill.