This bill has received Royal Assent and is, or will soon become, law.
Summary
This is from the published bill.
This enactment requires the minister responsible for economic development in the Prairie provinces, in collaboration with the Minister of the Environment, the Minister of Transport, the Minister of Industry, the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, the Minister of Finance and the Minister of Natural Resources, to develop a framework for local cooperation and engagement in the implementation of federal programs across various sectors to build a green economy in the Prairie provinces.
Elsewhere
All sorts of information on this bill is available at LEGISinfo, an excellent resource from Parliament. You can also read the full text of the bill.
Bill numbers are reused for different bills each new session. Perhaps you were looking for one of these other C-235s:
C-235 (2020)
Ending the Stigma of Substance Use Act
C-235 (2020)
Ending of the Stigma of Substance Use Act
C-235 (2016)
An Act to amend the Criminal Code and the Corrections and Conditional Release Act (fetal alcohol disorder)
C-235 (2013)
An Act to amend the Criminal Code (failure to inform)
Votes
Dec. 7, 2022Passed 3rd reading and adoption of Bill C-235, An Act respecting the building of a green economy in the Prairies
June 1, 2022Passed 2nd reading of Bill C-235, An Act respecting the building of a green economy in the Prairies
This is a computer-generated summary of the speeches below.
Usually it’s accurate, but every now and then it’ll contain inaccuracies or total fabrications.
Bill C-235 aims to create a framework for building a green economy in the Prairie provinces by requiring federal ministers to consult with provincial governments, Indigenous communities, and other stakeholders. The goal is to identify regional opportunities and challenges, foster collaboration, and support sustainable economic growth in sectors like energy, agriculture, and transportation. The bill seeks to align federal programs and promote a transition towards a greener, more diversified economy in the Prairies.
Liberal
Support for Bill C-235: Liberal members expressed strong support for Bill C-235, emphasizing its importance for creating a strong and sustainable green economy in the Prairies while respecting provincial jurisdiction. They see the bill as a framework for bringing together various stakeholders, including provincial governments, indigenous communities, NGOs, unions, and municipalities, to foster collaboration and address climate change.
Importance of Collaboration: The Liberals highlighted the need for collaboration and cooperation among different levels of government and stakeholders to achieve shared goals in building a greener economy. The bill encourages consensus building and meaningful partnerships with indigenous communities, acknowledging that a single order of government cannot achieve these goals alone.
Economic Opportunities: The Liberal members believe the bill will unlock new economic opportunities and create jobs in sectors such as renewable energy, carbon capture and storage, green transit, sustainable agriculture, and critical minerals. They emphasized the Prairies' existing strengths in engineering, energy, and agriculture and see the bill as a catalyst for further sustainable development and value-added production.
Conservative
Opposition to bill C-235: The Conservative party is against Bill C-235, viewing it as another top-down, Ottawa-knows-best approach to the western Canadian resource sector, reminiscent of the National Energy Program and other legislation like Bill C-69 and Bill C-48. They see it as unwanted federal interference in provincial affairs.
Lack of provincial support: The party emphasizes that the bill is opposed by a significant majority (82%) of MPs from the affected provinces (Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba), and that provincial governments have expressed their opposition during committee hearings, highlighting that the legislation is neither wanted nor needed.
Concerns about economic impact: The Conservatives raise concerns about the bill's potential negative impact on the western Canadian resource sector, particularly paragraph 3(3)(b) which focuses on transitioning workers out of traditional energy industries, arguing that it could harm the livelihoods of many workers and hinder Canada's ability to export ethical oil and gas to address global energy needs and geopolitical challenges.
Senate reform shortcomings: The party criticizes the Canadian parliamentary system, pointing out the lack of safeguards for smaller provinces like Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba, as larger provinces can outvote them, and the unelected Senate cannot effectively prevent legislation detrimental to these smaller provinces from passing.
NDP
Supports green prairie economy: The NDP supports Bill C-235, because it is important to look at local and regional solutions for creating a green economy in the Prairies. The party believes such solutions can make a profound difference.
Need for urgency: NDP speakers emphasized that the pace of change is too slow to address current challenges, and that there needs to be resources for local regions and communities, so they can implement their own solutions.
Disappointed in Liberal action: The NDP is disappointed that the Liberals have not acted with an appropriate sense of urgency or built excitement around particular projects that could create jobs and build competency in Canada.
Oil and gas investment concerns: New Democrats are upset with public expenditures in the oil and gas sector, seeing them as missed opportunities to invest in renewable energy and become leaders in the future energy economy.
Bloc
Opposes Bill C-235: The Bloc Québécois is against the federal government interfering in the jurisdictions of the provinces and Quebec with regard to their economic and environmental choices and directions, which are their own.
Supports green transition: The Bloc agrees the central provinces absolutely have to go green, but it is up to the provinces to choose when and how they begin that shift. Government should provide financial and organizational support as well as incentives to the provinces, without encroaching on provincial jurisdiction.
Provincial jurisdiction paramount: The Bloc cited testimony from the governments of the three provinces covered by Bill C-235, who stated they did not want the bill. The Bloc supports respecting provincial jurisdiction.
Doubts about nuclear: The Bloc is concerned that the transition to a green economy that Bill C-235 talks about is essentially a shift to nuclear. The Bloc does not equate a transition to clean energy with a transition to nuclear energy, citing serious safety issues involved in the management of nuclear waste.
