Conservative and Bloc Québécois MPs raised concerns with the One Canadian Economy Act as federal ministers testified before the Transport Committee, questioning whether the bill grants the government sweeping authority to exempt projects from existing laws without including clear and reasonable limits on that power.
Conservative MP Leslyn Lewis on June 18 compared Bill C-5, which would allow projects in the national interest to be exempt from certain legislation, to Section 33 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which allows for the temporary suspension of certain civil liberties.
“But there is a provision that protects citizens under section one, which is the reasonable limits,” Lewis said of the Charter. “Where are the reasonable limits of this legislation? Where are the brakes in this legislation so that federal governments don’t become bullies and sweep into municipal and provincial jurisdiction?”…