Bill C-39: The Building Canada Strong Act Introduces Significant Reforms To Federal Project Review And Permitting Process

On September 21, 2026, the federal government introducedBill C-39, the Building Canada Strong Act (“Bill C-39”), in Parliament. Bill C-39 proposes significant amendments to the federal project review and permitting framework, including changes to the Impact Assessment Act (the “IAA”), the Canadian Energy Regulator Act (the “CERA”), the Building Canada Act, and several other federal statutes. Bill C-39 aims to give effect to Canada’s commitment to “one project, one decision, in one year” with a coordinated federal review process under which all assessments, permits, and consultations proceed concurrently culminating in a single federal decision within a legislated one-year timeframe.

In parallel, Canada issued a Cabinet Directive on Getting Projects Built in Canada (the “Directive”) which implements key elements of the proposed framework, including the one-year decision timeline and coordinated federal review process, pending the enactment of Bill C-39.