Trudeau government to reject amendments to C-69: report

OTTAWA – Alberta and a few other provinces will be watching closely as a controversial piece of legislation heads back to the House of Commons.

Bill C-69, known by critics as the “no-pipeline law” was recently given over 180 amendments by the Senate.

According to one senior source, however, it appears the Trudeau government will reject the vast majority of those amendments.

READ MORE: Controversial bill on energy projects passes senate heavily amended

The government will reportedly reduce ministerial control and the naming of panellists, which would have allowed the feds to stack hearings in its favour.

“To make sure that you have a process that ensures that you make timely decisions and that good projects can go ahead with uncertainty,” said Environment Minister Catherine McKenna.

Premiers from six provinces and territories, including Jason Kenney, have written the Prime Minister saying C-69 – in its current form – will damage the national economy.

Trudeau has shrugged off the claim, accusing the premiers of playing games.

READ MORE: Trudeau calls out premiers for ‘playing games with national unity’

Despite the strong opposition from these premiers and many in the oil and gas sector, McKenna said there’s strong support for the bill.

“We’ve had very good feedback with different groups including, from the mining sector, 80 per cent of the projects are mining projects. The Assembly of First Nations (AFN) and Indigenous peoples have been supportive of Bill C-69.”

Critics are saying that the only certainty around C-69 is that it will make it harder – perhaps impossible – to get some resource projects built.

Alberta’s Energy Minister Sonya Savage is scheduled to speak about the federal governments’ decision, along with Saskatchewan Energy Minister Bronwyn Eyre, and Ontario Minister Greg Rickford Wednesday afternoon.

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