‘No More Pipelines Bill’ C-69 Alberta’s Next Legal Hope
Having recently lost its constitutional challenge against federal carbon pricing in Canada’s top court, Alberta is still in the fight against Bill C-69, the Impact Assessment Act.
Multibillion-dollar investments in resource and pipeline development are not all that is at stake. Provincial-federal relations and Western alienation are collateral issues in what promises to be an extended battle.
‘Sucker Punch’
Passed on June 21, 2019, Bill C-69 lengthened the review process for proposed energy projects by adding a new phase of consultation at the front end. The legislation allowed a wider range of interests to appeal proposed projects and called for “Indigenous knowledge” and the “intersection of sex and gender with other identity factors” in approvals. C-69 also gave cabinet the final say.