Predetermined Outcomes with Consultation Theatre? The NDP & Bill C-5.

In this episode, Jaime Frederick and Kallee Lins dive into the latest developments surrounding Bill C-5, the One Canadian Economy Act (also An Act to enact the Free Trade and Labour Mobility in Canada Act and the Building Canada Act), which has sparked significant debate across Canada's political and social landscape. 

Bill C-5, under the justification of removing barriers to development, allows for the sidestepping of crucial environmental assessment laws and Indigenous consultation, and chips away at democratic processes. Critics argue this bill is a corporate giveaway threatening Canada's democratic safeguards; the NDP has worked strategically to expose its deficiencies.

What does all of this mean for the shifting "centre" of Canadian politics, the possibility of a renewed identity for the NDP and the potential to rebuild electoral success?

Sources and Background Reading:

Government Backgrounder: Implementation of Bill C-5: One Canadian Economy - Canada.ca

Environmental Law Centre Analysis: Bill C-5 & the Building Canada Act: What You Need to Know

Canada’s Bill C-5: Continuing the Legislative Trend of Undermining Indigenous Rights - JFK Law - Canada

Ecojustice Analysis: https://ecojustice.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Building-Canada-Act-BCA-Ecojustice-analysis-V2.pdf

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Doug Ford's controversial Bill 5: Here's what you need to know | CBC News

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