Althia Raj: This is no way to ‘build Canada strong’ - Toronto Star

A review of the government’s flagship legislation is moving at an unusually quick pace, Althia Raj writes.

Prime Minister Mark Carney takes part in an executive working session of the 28th Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, in St. John’s, Antigua and Barbuda, on Nov. 3, 2026.

Althia Raj is a national politics columnist for the Star. Follow her on Twitter: @althiaraj

Opposition parties banded together this week in a futile attempt to hear more expert testimony on Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Building Canada Strong Act, C-39, after dozens of witnesses warned MPs the bill is deeply flawed, and more than 100 individual Canadians and groups urged amendments or begged the government to change course on legislation that will impact labour rights, Indigenous Peoples and environmental safeguards, including the protection of endangered species.

Late Monday evening, Conservative labour critic Kyle Seeback proposed the Commons committee studying C-39 allow eight more hours of testimony. 

“I have a motion that I hope is not controversial and we should probably all agree on,” he told his colleagues. An extensive number of witnesses wanted to appear, he said, but “we have run out of time.”

The review of the government’s flagship legislation is moving at an unusually quick pace, with a special legislative committee, a concurrent study in the Senate, and only six meetings to hear from witnesses. Amendment proposals are due Wednesday afternoon, even though the government has yet to provide MPs with an annotated version of the 232-page bill to explain its sweeping changes to 19 laws and four regulations.

Tax breaks, faster project approvals and less red tape win praise from industry leaders. Labour and economists say their priorities are overlooked.