Thank you. Thank you all. I’m going to turn to the main event. You can guess what the main event is. But first, I did want to say a few words of condolences to the loved ones of those affected by the tragedy at Bow Glacier Falls in Alberta. On behalf of those who lost their lives in this tragic incident, their families, and recovery to those injured, and I want to thank the first responders and Parks Canada employees who’ve been conducting the search and rescue efforts over the course of the last 24 hours.

So, why we’re here, we would only keep you here this late on a Friday, the first day of summer, for something that is really, really important, and today is a very important day for Canada. Bill C-5, our government’s One Canadian Economy legislation, has just passed the House of Commons.

(Applause)

And Bill C-5 is based on two pillars, both equally important to building one Canadian economy. This legislation is about building a stronger, more competitive, more resilient economy that benefits all Canadians, and it is tailored to respond to this pivotal moment with urgency and determination. 

The first part of the bill eliminates federal barriers to internal trade and labour mobility as first promised by the Minister of Internal Trade, Minister Freeland. It is our contribution to a much broader effort with all the provinces, all the territories, to eliminate the barriers that have held our country back for far too long, barriers that cost Canadians as much as $200 billion in lost opportunities every year. That’s equivalent to around $50,000 for every Canadian, and the changes to labour mobility will help Canadian workers to do their jobs wherever they want to in this great country. The second component of this bill is especially consequential for our nation.

Canada is a country that once built great things. Expo 67, from concept to completion, took only four and a half years.

The St. Lawrence Seaway, seven locks stretching over 300 kilometres that transported more than three billion tonnes of cargo since it opened in 1959, took just five years from concept to building. These were some of the nation-building projects of our past, major structures built with ambition and determination that connected and transformed our national economy. They represent much of how we will build again now. But today, with this bill, the word nation carries a much greater meaning. These projects will build our national economy, and through Indigenous equity and resource management, these projects will be built with Indigenous nations and communities. This is not an aspiration. It is the plan embedded in the bill itself.

The goal of the One Canadian Economy Act was developed in recognition of the importance of protecting the environment and upholding Indigenous rights. This commitment is at the heart of the Act. With this legislation, we will identify nation-building projects, meaning those that strengthen Canada’s autonomy, resilience, and security. That have clear benefits for Canada. That have a high likelihood of being completed. That contribute to clean growth and Canada’s climate goals, and that advance the interests of Indigenous Peoples.

For projects that meet these criteria, we will consider them approved from the outset and expedite the assessment process. There will be meaningful consultation with Indigenous communities during the process of selecting nation-building projects and during the development of the conditions for each project. 

Through Canada’s United Nations Declarations Act, federal laws are to be in alignment with UNDRIP and therefore respect the principle of free, prior, and informed consent. It’s the right thing to do. The Major Projects Office created by this bill will have an Indigenous Advisory Council whose core function will be to honor Section 35 rights in the implementation. It will have First Nations, Inuit, and Métis membership and regional representation. We’ve already announced additional funding to support First Nations, Inuit, Métis coming to the table to participate and to enhance capacity-building in this new process, from participation in negotiations to project selection and development, and continuing to support those groups with nation-building.

I thank the ministers, Indigenous caucus and leadership from across the country for sharing your perspectives and your sincere openness to getting this structure right. We all agree that more fulsome conversations are needed to select the nation-building projects and to determine the conditions that they must fulfill. In other words, the real work begins now. We will have those. Indeed, we must have them because this bill requires them. It takes time to build trust and to build shared leadership. That means building an economy where Indigenous communities participate fully in the national economy, where Indigenous microeconomies are not isolated but integrated into large-scale projects that connect communities to the national economy, creating more jobs and greater prosperity for all. That’s why the first thing we will do to launch the implementation of this legislation in the right way is through full-day summits with First Nations, Inuit and Métis, rights-holders, leadership, and experts. To that end, I will be meeting with First Nations rights-holders on July 17^th here in Ottawa, Inuit leadership in late July, and Métis leadership soon thereafter. I’ll attend these meetings alongside the responsible ministers, which will include working sessions and public roundtables.

First Nations, Inuit, and Métis know the best way forward for the future of their communities, and what real consultation means for their lands. I want to hear the perspectives of rights-holders, their concerns and their ambitions. To do this, we will engage in meaningful discussions. Ministers LeBlanc, Freeland, Gull-Masty, Alty, Hodson and others, along with public service leaders, will ensure ongoing, open, and honest conversations between the federal government and rights-holders.

Consultation, cooperation, engagement, participation are at the heart of this bill, C-5. That is how we build our nation. Being a reliable partner to Indigenous peoples is not just about upholding the duty to consult. It’s about enabling the creation of long-term wealth and prosperity for Indigenous peoples through full equity ownership. That’s why we’ve already doubled the Indigenous Loan Guarantee Program from $5 billion to $10 billion, enabling more Indigenous communities become owners of major projects. As Bill C-5 moves on to the Senate, I want to underscore that this bill and the economic potential that it will unleash for our country is critical. For far too long, when federal agencies have examined a new project, their immediate question has been, why? Now, they will instead ask themselves how.

The process to build in this country, which has become too arduous, has taken too long, and has been holding us back, is changing. In the past, with every year that a proposal to build a port, a wind energy farm, or a highway sat on an official’s desk, we were leaving investment, prosperity, and jobs, people’s careers, on the table. We’ve been keeping ourselves dependent on foreign powers. But by building at home, we will truly make Canada strong, one strong, united, and unified Canadian economy, breaking down trade barriers, breaking down labour barriers to build that strong Canadian economy. That’s what we’re doing with the introduction of today’s legislation. This government was elected on a promise to break down those barriers and to build things big and faster, because we know, Canadians know that we can give ourselves far more than any foreign government can ever take away. We can build big, build bold, build now, and with this legislation, build one Canadian economy.

We can build a better Canada for generations to come.