Alberta minister Shannon Phillips says bill C-69 inadequate in current form

OTTAWA — Alberta Environment Minister Shannon Phillips says a key piece of federal legislation that would overhaul energy projects can’t become law in its current form.

Phillips was in Ottawa today to convince the Senate that Bill C-69 needs to be fixed.

The bill, which is under consideration in the Senate, would create a new Impact Assessment Agency and replace the National Energy Board with the Canadian Energy Regulator.

It introduces new timelines and specific steps that companies and governments will have to take in order for new energy projects to go ahead.

Phillips says Alberta supports the federal government’s intention to modernize the assessment process and its goal of having greater confidence in the regulatory system.

But she says there have been a number of recent failures and delays in approving major projects and her province needs certainty that Albertans can go to work.

Phillips says Alberta is looking for more clarity in the legislation, including on review timelines, and wants clearly spelled out that downstream emissions — from the burning of fossil fuels—would be excluded from review.

Share This:

---

More News Articles