Liberal MPs still mixed on Bill C-5

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OTTAWA — While the Tories are on board with rushing the government’s “One Canadian Economy”  legislation before Parliament rises for the summer, opinions on the bill remain mixed among members of the Liberal caucus.

While few Liberals strolling by reporters camped outside their caucus room in West Block stopped to speak, many offered support for Bill C-5, including Secretary of State for Finance Wayne Long.

“I think the country is in a crisis, and I think that we need to be bold, and we need to act,” he said on his way into the second-floor caucus room.

“We’re a government of action and we need to move quickly.”

The bill passed second reading on Monday, and is currently under consideration by the House Transport, Infrastructure and Communities committee.

Once it clears committee, C-5 will move to third reading and then be put before the Senate for their consideration.

The government is hoping to complete the process and have the bill granted royal assent before Parliament rises on Friday.

Indigenous groups are among the loudest voices in opposition to the speedy course the government has set, with Ontario Regional Chief Abram Benedict describing it as undemocratic and undermining First Nations rights.

“The government talks about truth and reconciliation, has legislation around UNDRIP (United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples,) talks about free prior and informed consent,” he said during a Tuesday news conference.

“The process being used by the federal government to introduce this legislation and bring it forward and ratified in less than two months is unacceptable. Canadians ought to be alarmed.”

Jaime Battiste, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations, told reporters on Wednesday that communication is key.

“What we’re hearing from Indigenous leaders is that they just want to be communicated with about this,” he said.

“The legislation reaffirms section 35 Aboriginal treaty rights — it’s going to be compliant with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and that we’re ensuring that the future projects have to meet the consultation test set out.

Among Liberal MPs opposed to the rollout is Beaches-East York MP Nate Erskine-Smith, who earlier this week said the process to rush the bill through the House would make former Prime Minister Stephen Harper blush.

“The substantive content of Bill C-5 should be dealt with for a longer period of time in committee,” he told reporters on Tuesday, saying the process to ram C-5 through the House is the fastest he’s seen in his decade in politics.

“I think it would be warranted to extend the sitting by another week and have the committee do, in the course of a week sit for a few hours every day, and that should be plenty of time to hear from Indigenous rights holders, to hear from environment rights experts, to hear from those who are proponents of the bill and say ‘no, this legislation makes sense the way it is.”

bpassifiume@postmedia.com
X: @bryanpassifiume

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