#natural-resources

The federal government has tabled new legislation to amend the Impact Assessment Act, following a Supreme Court of Canada advisory opinion that deemed major parts of the original law unconstitutional. The proposed changes aim to narrow the scope of federal environmental reviews to matters strictly within federal jurisdiction, addressing the Court's concerns about overreach into provincial powers over natural resource projects. The move seeks to provide greater clarity for industry and quell intergovernmental friction, particularly with resource-rich provinces like Alberta, while maintaining federal oversight on key environmental and Indigenous concerns.

The federal government has introduced new legislation to overhaul Canada's environmental assessment process for major projects. The proposed law aims to replace the Impact Assessment Act, which the Supreme Court of Canada found to be largely unconstitutional due to federal overreach into provincial jurisdiction. Tabled by the Environment and Natural Resources ministers, the bill seeks to create a more efficient and constitutionally sound framework. It focuses federal oversight on specific areas like fisheries and Indigenous rights, aiming to balance environmental protection with the need for clarity and investment certainty in the natural resource sector.

The Supreme Court of Canada has delivered a landmark ruling, finding key provisions of the federal Impact Assessment Act unconstitutional. In a 5-2 decision, the court concluded that the law, which assesses major energy and infrastructure projects, oversteps federal authority and infringes on provincial jurisdiction over natural resources. The ruling is a significant victory for Alberta and other provinces that challenged the legislation, often dubbed the "no-pipelines law." The federal government must now rewrite its environmental assessment framework, creating uncertainty for future resource development across Canada.

The federal government has introduced new legislation to overhaul Canada's environmental assessment process for major projects. The proposed law aims to replace the Impact Assessment Act, which the Supreme Court of Canada found to be largely unconstitutional in a 2023 advisory opinion. The new bill seeks to create a more streamlined and constitutionally sound framework by narrowing the scope of federal reviews to areas of clear federal jurisdiction. It represents Ottawa's attempt to balance environmental protection with economic development while addressing provincial concerns about federal overreach into resource management.

The federal government has introduced new legislation to amend the Impact Assessment Act (IAA), responding directly to a Supreme Court of Canada ruling that found the original law largely unconstitutional. The proposed changes aim to narrow the scope of federal environmental reviews, focusing more explicitly on areas of federal jurisdiction to avoid intruding on provincial powers. Tabled by Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault and Energy Minister Jonathan Wilkinson, the bill seeks to provide greater clarity for major resource projects, but it is already facing scrutiny from provinces, industry, and environmental groups over where the new lines are drawn.

The Canadian federal government has introduced new legislation to overhaul its environmental assessment process for major projects, directly responding to a Supreme Court of Canada ruling that found the previous Impact Assessment Act (IAA) largely unconstitutional. The proposed law aims to narrow the scope of federal oversight, focusing on effects within clear federal jurisdiction such as fisheries, migratory birds, and Indigenous rights. The move seeks to provide greater regulatory certainty for industries like mining and energy while navigating the complex constitutional division of powers between Ottawa and the provinces, which had challenged the original act.

The Supreme Court of Canada has delivered a landmark opinion, finding the federal Impact Assessment Act largely unconstitutional in a major victory for Alberta and other provinces. The Court ruled that the 2019 law, often criticized as the "No More Pipelines" bill, improperly intruded on provincial jurisdiction over resource development. By focusing on a project's overall effects rather than those specifically within federal authority, the legislation created an unconstitutional overreach. The decision compels Ottawa to redraft its environmental review process, significantly altering the landscape for major energy and infrastructure projects across Canada.

The federal government has introduced new legislation to amend the Impact Assessment Act (IAA), responding directly to a Supreme Court of Canada advisory opinion that found the original law largely unconstitutional. The proposed changes aim to narrow the scope of federal environmental reviews, focusing on effects within federal jurisdiction to avoid encroaching on provincial powers over resource development. This move seeks to provide clarity and certainty for major projects, but it reopens debate among provinces, industry stakeholders, and environmental groups over the appropriate balance between economic development and environmental protection.

The federal government has tabled new legislation, the Major Projects Review Act, to replace the Impact Assessment Act (IAA) after the Supreme Court of Canada found the latter largely unconstitutional. The proposed law aims to create a constitutionally sound and efficient review process for major resource and infrastructure projects. It focuses on effects within federal jurisdiction, seeking to provide clarity for industry and investors while upholding environmental standards and Indigenous consultation rights. The move comes amid ongoing debate over federal authority, with provinces and industry groups cautiously awaiting the bill's full details and implementation.

The federal government has introduced new legislation to overhaul Canada's environmental assessment process for major projects, directly responding to a Supreme Court of Canada opinion that found the previous Impact Assessment Act largely unconstitutional. The proposed law aims to narrow the scope of federal oversight to areas of clear federal jurisdiction, seeking to end a protracted battle with provinces over resource development. While industry groups hope for increased clarity and investment certainty, provincial governments and environmental organizations remain cautious, scrutinizing the bill for signs of federal overreach or weakened environmental protections.