The Battlefords Chamber of Commerce has relayed to members the concerns of the national Chamber to Bill C-69, the federal bill overhauling the regulatory process for infrastructure projects in the country.
At their monthly board of directors meeting on Tuesday, Battlefords Chamber chief operating officer Linda Machniak provided an update. She pointed to a news release from the Canadian Chamber titled “today is a dark day for a nation of builders.”
The release, dated June 12, was in response to the federal government’s decision that same day to reject Senate amendments to Bill C-69.
“The Canadian Chamber of Commerce is deeply disappointed with today’s announcement that the federal government will reject a number of the Senate’s improvements to Bill C-69. These amendments are essential to avoid driving investment away from major Canadian infrastructure projects,” said Hon. Perrin Beatty, president and CEO of the Canadian Chamber, in a statement.
The release further stated that while “the current regulatory regime, CEAA 2012, should be replaced because it continues to discourage investment in Canada’s mining sector, the government has prescribed a cure that is worse than the disease.
“The Canadian Chamber attempted to work with the government to fix the legislation’s flaws. Earlier this month, we wrote to ministers and again laid out the five key improvements Canadian business needed. Because today’s announcement rejects most of these improvements, we cannot support the bill.”
Machniak noted that one of the key things about Bill C-69 impacts not only oil and gas projects, but “large mining projects – large infrastructure projects like big new bridges.”
She also pointed to another news release expressing concern about the advisory council’s recommended approach to national pharmacare.
“If the federal government takes over pharmacare on a national scale, first of all the cost will go up significantly, but many people are very happy with their providers,” Machniak said. She noted this is likely to be part of the federal election campaign.
Finally, Machniak spoke about a third news release issued by the Canadian Chamber on the federal government’s approval of the Trans-Mountain Pipeline expansion earlier that day. She pointed to the Canadian Chamber’s remarks that it was “an encouraging first step towards generating $73 billion in benefits to Canada over the next 20 years, and a positive sign for project developers across Canada.”
The news of the approval had been expected, Machniak said, based on the chamber’s conference call last week. Machniak also pointed out this did not mean the pipeline is built; it was simply approved, she said.
