Indigenous, labour and environmental groups say the omnibus bill gives cabinet too much power; Ottawa says it would speed building
NetNewsLedger National News Desk | Nov. 13, 2026
Thunder Bay ON – National News Service — Indigenous leaders and youth, union members, environmental groups and other opponents of Bill C-39 rallied outside federal offices across Canada on Thursday, pressing MPs to stop or substantially rewrite the government’s broad economic bill.
Organizers reported more than 60 coordinated actions. News organizations confirmed gatherings in Ottawa, Winnipeg, Edmonton, Penticton, Kamloops, St. John’s and other communities. Crowd sizes varied from several dozen to about 100 at reported events.
The demonstrations matter because the Building Canada Strong Act is already through second reading and is being studied by a special House of Commons committee. The bill touches project approvals, transportation, trade records and federally regulated workplaces.
Why opponents are mobilizing
Opponents argue the bill could reduce environmental review, weaken worker bargaining power and let cabinet move national-interest projects ahead without enough public or Indigenous participation. Those are political and legal claims about a bill that has not yet passed; they are not findings by a court.
In Ottawa, about 100 people marched from the Prime Minister’s Office to the Senate, according to APTN News. In Winnipeg, organizers delivered a letter at the constituency office of Liberal MP Ben Carr. Demonstrators in Edmonton gathered outside the office of Emergency Management Minister Eleanor Olszewski.
The official bill is much wider than a single fast-track power. It would amend the Impact Assessment Act, Building Canada Act, Canada Energy Regulator Act, Species at Risk Act, Fisheries Act, transportation laws and the Canada Labour Code, among other statutes.
Ottawa says the changes would make reviews faster and more predictable while maintaining consultation with Indigenous Peoples. The bill’s text includes consultation requirements where constitutionally protected rights may be adversely affected.
Committee stage becomes the pressure point
The House voted 296-26 on Oct. 8 to send Bill C-39 to committee. Support at second reading does not guarantee support for the final bill. Conservative MP Helena Konanz, whose Penticton office was a protest site, said Thursday that the bill needs serious amendments before the final vote.
Parliament’s LEGISinfo service listed the bill as under committee consideration at the research cutoff. The committee’s public meeting page did not show a future meeting, so the timing of the next hearing or clause-by-clause review remained unconfirmed.
The government has not accepted opponents’ description that the bill overrides Indigenous rights. Whether the proposed powers meet the Crown’s constitutional duty to consult may depend on how they are amended and used. First Nations and other rights holders could still challenge decisions in court.
The next round of committee amendments will show whether the national day of action changed votes or the text. Until then, the bill remains a proposal, not law.
