NATIONAL POLICY IMPACT / FEATURED DOSSIER

Bill C-39 / Building Canada Strong Act

Bill C-39 proposes changes to federal project evaluation, trade corridors, digital trade and federally regulated labour rules. BuildAtlas follows the legal text, the separate Cabinet Directive and the implementation evidence without treating a proposal as an approval or an accelerated project.

CURRENT STAGE

Where the bill is now

LEGISinfo records Bill C-39 at second reading in the House of Commons. The latest recorded debate was September 25, 2026; debate alone does not change the bill text or establish legal effect.

WHAT CHANGED

Verified developments, newest first

No verified substantive legislative amendment has been published since the first-reading baseline. The latest recorded activity is parliamentary debate, which does not change the legal text.

2026-09-25 · Second-reading debate was recorded · CONTEXT ONLY

What happened: LEGISinfo records debate in the House of Commons. This is verified parliamentary activity, not a change to the bill text. What changed: No provision-level change is verified. The first-reading bill text remains the legal baseline and no relationship re-evaluation was triggered. Uncertainty: The bill’s stage and legal effect can change only through later official records, text, enactment and commencement evidence. Watch next: Watch for an official amended bill text, committee report, recorded vote, Royal Assent or commencement record.

Bill C-39 (45-1) — LEGISinfo

2026-09-21 · Bill C-39 was introduced at first reading · LEGAL BASELINE

What happened: The official bill text and LEGISinfo record establish the first-reading version used by this dossier. What changed: This created the retained proposed-law baseline; it did not enact or commence the proposed provisions. Uncertainty: The baseline is superseded only by a verified official text or legal-effect record. Watch next: Compare any later official version provision by provision before changing public relationships or legal status.

Bill C-39 — First Reading / current bill text · Bill C-39 (45-1) — LEGISinfo

2026-09-21 · A separate Cabinet Directive was issued · SEPARATE INSTRUMENT

What happened: The directive sets expectations for federal departments and agencies and is recorded independently from Bill C-39. What changed: It adds an active administrative measure to the policy record; it does not amend the bill, rewrite statutes or establish a project outcome. Uncertainty: Its application remains subject to the directive’s stated boundaries, applicable law and independent decision-makers. Watch next: Watch for revised guidance, implementation records and project-specific decisions that can be tied to the directive.

Cabinet Directive on getting projects built in Canada

LEGAL BASELINE

What would Bill C-39 change?

The current first-reading text proposes changes to project evaluation, trade corridors, digital trade and federally regulated labour rules. BuildAtlas uses the bill text, not a government announcement, as the provision baseline.

PROVISIONS

Provision areas in the current text

  • Coordinated project evaluations: Coordinates designated-project impact assessments, federal authorizations and Indigenous consultation processes. Part 1, Division 1 / Impact Assessment Act
  • One-year federal decision window: Sets a one-year decision framework after the proponent provides the required information or studies, with process-specific conditions and exceptions in the text. Impact Assessment Act and Canadian Energy Regulator Act amendments
  • Single project assessor: Assigns specified assessment and coordination roles to the CER or CNSC for projects within their statutory scope. Canadian Energy Regulator Act / Impact Assessment Act
  • Regions of national interest: Creates a framework for certain project types in a region of national interest and a process for adding regions to a schedule. Part 1, Division 2 / Building Canada Act
  • National Trade Corridors Council: Allows designation of geographic trade corridors and establishes a council to monitor movement, analyze disruptions and advise the Minister. Part 2, Division 2 / Canada Transportation Act
  • Electronic trade documents and information sharing: Creates a framework for electronic trade documents and permits defined federal information disclosure and reuse. Part 2, Division 8 / Enabling Digital Trade Act
  • Federally regulated labour rules: Proposes new collective-bargaining requirements, mediation authorities and other labour and wage-protection changes. Part 3 / Canada Labour Code and related Acts
BOUNDARY

What is not established

The bill is not enacted, no commencement date is established in this dossier, and no named project is treated as accelerated merely because it sits in an affected sector or review pathway.

POLICY → PROJECTS

Conditional relationships

  • Sisson Tungsten-Molybdenum Project — If the project falls within the amended statutory pathway and supplies a complete application package, the coordination and timing rules could change how federal review is organized. No source establishes that Bill C-39 has accelerated Sisson, changed its permits, or moved it toward construction.
  • Crawford Nickel Project — The bill’s proposed coordination and decision-window provisions could be relevant to a project in that pathway, subject to the final law, regulations and the project’s application completeness. This is not evidence of a faster approval, a permit, a financing close, or a construction start.
  • Port of Churchill Plus — A future National Trade Corridors Council or corridor designation could create a policy context to watch for northern logistics projects. No corridor designation, council recommendation, funding decision or project acceleration is recorded for Port of Churchill Plus.
  • Melford International Terminal — The policy changes create a relevant system watch for port, rail, data and market-access interfaces if the legislation advances. The relationship does not establish that Melford is a designated trade corridor project or that the bill improves its economics or schedule.
EVIDENCE

Sources behind this guide

BuildAtlas separates public-source facts, reported statements, and its own clearly labelled interpretation. See the methodology for how to read the evidence.