Canadian Chamber Appears before Senate Committee on The One Canadian Economy Act (Bill C-5)

On June 16, our Vice President of Government Relations, David Pierce, and Senior Director of Natural Resources, Environment & Sustainability, Bryan Detchou, appeared before the Senate Committee of the Whole to provide remarks on Bill C-5, The One Canadian Economy Act. 

They highlighted the urgent need to reduce internal trade barriers and accelerate the development of critical infrastructure across Canada, and underscored how C-5 aligns with the Chamber’s “All-In” plan. They also reiterated Canada’s role in ensuring energy security, supporting Indigenous partnerships, and restoring investor confidence through regulatory reform.

The full appearance and remarks can be accessed below.

Senate Committee of the Whole

Remarks – An Act to enact the Free Trade and Labour Mobility in Canada Act and the Building Canada Act | Short title: One Canadian Economy Act

Monday, June 16, 2025, Panel 2, 3:15 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
David R. Pierce & Bryan N. Detchou
Canadian Chamber of Commerce

Honourable Senators,

Thank you for the opportunity to appear before you today on C5, Canada’s new legislation aimed at reducing internal trade barriers and building critical projects of national interest.

I am joined by Bryan Detchou, who specializes in energy, resource, and environmental policy at the Canadian Chamber of Commerce.

At the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, we represent our immediate members, and the Chamber Network with some 400 partner Chambers of Commerce and Boards of Trade across our country. Together, we represent almost 200,000 members.

We applaud the Prime Minister and Government of Canada for moving so quickly and methodically on introducing C5. This legislation aims to address internal trade barriers and to begin a conversation about building critical national infrastructure.

This legislation is to address internal trade and infrastructure, but it truly is a response to one of the most important economic shocks of our generation. We really do now live in a different economic world, faced with increased risk on Canadian businesses and families.

Before I go into that, however, I’d like to draw your attention to February 4^th, 2025 when our CEO Candace Laing announced the Canadian Chamber’s All-In plan. That plan featured 4 pillars – building critical resource infrastructure, reducing red tape and internal trade barriers, lowering taxes and opening new markets for our goods and resources.

Fast forward to today, C5 responds to many of the issues we flagged last winter. I would be pleased to speak more about these measures during the question-and-answer period of our discussion today.

Now, Let’s talk energy security.

Global energy demand is projected to rise by nearly 50% by 2050. Canada and its G7 partners must prepare their systems now—ensuring affordability, reliability, and resilience. With geopolitical instability and fragile supply chains, energy policy has become a central issue of both economic strategy and national security.

At the Canadian Chamber’s Business 7 (B7) Summit in May, business leaders affirmed what many already know: Canada has a pivotal role to play in shaping global energy and clean economic growth. This is a generational opportunity—but seizing it requires bold, coordinated, and immediate action.

Unfortunately, Canada has lost momentum in recent decades. I ask you – today, could Canada have built the TransCanada Pipeline? What about the hydroelectric dams in Quebec. How about the TransCanada highway? 

Today, large-scale energy and infrastructure projects are routinely delayed by regulatory gridlock, rising costs, and political indecision. The consequences are real: weakened investor confidence, stalled productivity, and capital flowing to more agile jurisdictions.

An “all-of-the-above” energy approach is essential. Leveraging our comparative strengths in conventional energy will allow us to drive clean investments, increase self-sufficiency, and deliver for Canadians and our global partners.

We are encouraged by Bill C-5 and its potential to improve Canada’s ability to deliver major projects. There are provisions in this Bill that could still be clarified or improved, and we hope to address them during the question period.

For now, we ask Senators to consider the following recommendations—not only for this Bill but also for future legislation that will come before this House, be reviewed by your committees, or be introduced by your colleagues in this Chamber.

1. While Bill C-5 appropriately focuses on projects of national interest, Canada needs a regulatory system that works efficiently for all major infrastructure. Without broader reform, we risk a two-tiered process where some projects are fast-tracked while others remain bogged down under the Impact Assessment Act.
2. Urgency cannot come at the expense of Indigenous rights, environmental considerations, or provincial jurisdiction. A credible framework must be grounded in trust and legal certainty. Undermining these principles risks delays, opposition, and legal challenges that defeat the very goal of faster project delivery.
3. Approvals are only part of the challenge.  To truly unlock progress, government must also tackle the old and new cumulative regulatory burden facing major energy and resource developments in parallel with reforming the approval process. The greenwashing provisions to the Competition Act (Bill C-59)  and the Oil & Gas Emissions Cap are just two many examples. 
4. Senators, let this be Canada’s moment to rise—to seize our full potential and reaffirm our place as a global energy leader, securing a brighter, more prosperous future for all Canadians.

Thank you.