Two days after Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon unveiled his omnibus bid to expand his government’s efforts to streamline and accelerate the approval of major projects, as well overhaul federal labour laws, MPs are set to get their first chance to go on the parliamentary record with their initial thoughts — and concerns — about what Prime Minister Mark Carney has framed as “one of, if not the most consequential” bills to hit the House of Commons this session. (3 p.m.)

Clocking in at 246 pages, the Building Canada Strong Act, to use MacKinnon’s preferred moniker, would expand the government’s power to fast track projects deemed to be in the “national interest,” and “would let Ottawa issue a single conditions document instead of separate permits from multiple departments, letting projects bypass individual reviews under existing laws such as the Impact Assessment Act, the Fisheries Act and the Species at Risk Act,” as iPolitics’ own Aya Dufour reported earlier this week.

It would also establish what Jobs and Families Minister Patty Hajdu describes as “new ‘guardrails’ on when Ottawa can step in to order an end to strikes or lockouts” by establishing specific parameters for the use of the controversial section of the Canada Labour Code that effectively gives the government the power to order an end to a strike or lockout, as iPolitics’ Marco Vigliotti explains.

“Unions were quick to criticize the bill as restricting bargaining rights, arguing the government was suggesting that workers fighting for better wages was “contrary to the national interest,” he notes.

In a rare move, the government has signalled that it wants to send the bill to a special legislative committee for further review, which could spark concern from opposition member by effectively preempting any proposal to divvy it up amongst multiple standing committees, as has become standard practice in studying omnibus legislation in recent years.

Outside the precinct, Carney is set to wrap up his three-day stint on the high-level diplomatic circuit that accompanies the opening week of the United Nations General Assembly with what his itinerary describes as a “leader-level pledging event for the OceanEye International Alliance,” which, as per Canadian Press, Carney will co-host alongside European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, and “will bring together other leaders, civil society partners and UN organizations to build a network to observe and share data around ocean changes and challenges.” (10 a.m.)

According to his itinerary, he’ll head back to Ottawa this afternoon. (3:10 p.m.)

Also on the radar: New Democrat leader Avi Lewis and members of his caucus will “show their support and solidarity” for striking Bank of Canada security guards during a midday visit to the picket line at the bank’s downtown Ottawa headquarters. (12 p.m.)  

Meanwhile, Green Party leader Elizabeth May teams up with Greenpeace co-founder Bill Darnell, one-time Alberta Liberal Leader David Swann and other members of the Seniors’ Climate Caravan for a “family-friendly support rally” outside the Supreme Court of Canada that, as per the notice, will feature “music, theatre, costumes and speakers” as part of the group’s ongoing campaign to get the federal government to “invest in renewables rather than fossil fuel infrastructure.” (8:30 a.m.)

ON AND AROUND THE HILL

Members of the Canadian Chiropractic Association hit the West Block press theatre to promote their ongoing call to “have chiropractors added to the certification process for the Disability Tax Credit,” which, the advisory notes, was “specifically recommended” by the House FINANCE committee in 2018.” (8:30 a.m.)

Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Institute of Canada board chair Mike Miller joins other industry representatives to urge “both Canadian and American trade officials to resume negotiations,” and “prioritize free and fair trade within their integrated shared market,” and “highlight how unjustified trade measures and barriers can impose significant costs on Canadian and American businesses, disrupt established
supply chains and ultimately increase costs for consumers on both sides of the border.” (9 a.m.)

Senior representatives of the National Association of Friendship Centres, including president Pamela Glode-Desrochers, vice-president Lois Duke and Indigenous Youth Council president Caley Rain Anderson, will outline the “key priorities facing Friendship Centres and urban Indigenous communities across Canada.” (10 a.m.)

IN THE CHAMBER

Later this afternoon, Conservative MP Tamara Jansen will wind down second-reading debate on her backbench pitch to amend the Criminal Code to explicitly state that “mental disorder is not a grievous and irremediable medical condition for which a person could receive medical assistance in dying” before it is added to the queue for a make-or-break vote to determine whether it will be sent to committee for further review when MPs return from the upcoming week-long hiatus.

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