The BC NDP government’s contentious bill to fast-track infrastructure projects has passed despite concerted opposition.
Bill 15, the Infrastructure Projects Act, would allow the province to speed up major projects deemed of provincial importance by overriding certain permit and regulatory requirements.
On Wednesday evening, the legislation narrowly passed in the Legislature with a 47-46 vote.
The tie was broken by speaker Raj Chouhan.
The bill has been met with major pushback by First Nations and municipalities, who argue it will allow the province to steamroll local decision-making and dodge Indigenous consultation.
Prior to the vote, Infrastructure Minister Bowinn Ma said the government would press ahead with the legislation, telling reporters on Wednesday it was too important to leave to the fall.
“The urgency for the Infrastructure Projects Act will be clear to any parent who is struggling to enroll their child in the school of their choice close to home, only to find that school is completely bursting,” she said.
“We have seen an enormous growth in populations, and communities are calling on us to move things as quickly as possible.”
The vote and legislation threatens to imperil a relationship with First Nations that B.C.’s NDP government has spent years building.
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The New Democrats enshrined the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in B.C. law, and have put Indigenous ownership and participation at the forefront of their clean energy and mining plans.
But numerous First Nations leaders say pushing forward will cause lasting damage.
“We just cannot tolerate how this is happening in terms of the bill being rammed forward without the proper consultation, without the free, prior and informed consent from First Nations,” said Robert Philips, a member of the First Nations Summit political executive.
“When we have bills like this that will be in place for decades and decades, but potentially a government that will only be in place for four years, we don’t know what is going to happen — so when the premier says to trust us, we find that very difficult to do.”
Ma, who previously acknowledged that the government had erred by failing to adequately consult First Nations in drafting the legislation, has pledged that the province would enshrine a commitment to consultation and collaboration with nations when the regulations that the legislation empowers are drafted.
She added that First Nations will be involved in the drafting of the definition of what constitutes a “provincially significant project.”
As for the damaged trust?
“There will be bumps along the way. Relationships are complicated, challenging, and worthwhile to build, develop and hold onto. And when there are rifts, we’ve got to work together,” Ma said.
“We have done a ton of work, incredible things with First Nations in all sorts of files across the province, in all sorts of sectors, and I believe there is more work for us to do, and we are continuing to commit to that work.”
But the NDP is facing opposition on multiple fronts, with pushback from municipal leaders who agree with the need to speed up projects — but not at the expense of local decision-making.
“They are taking away the voice of municipal governments, which I think is totally wrong. Yes, I agree to fast-track infrastructure, hospitals, schools; we need that. But isn’t that their job anyway?” said Chilliwack Mayor Ken Popove.
“If they want to come in and change the way we do business? Stay out of my town, we’ll take care of our own town, you guys do your business, and I’ll do mine.”
BC Conservative Leader John Rustad, meanwhile, said the New Democrats have created a mess for themselves by trying to insert the government into the economy.
“What concerns me the most is the government picking winners and losers,” Rustad said. “What he is doing is he has created all the problems and wants to bypass it.”
The bill also saw some last-minute fencing between the governing NDP and its sometimes partner, the BC Green Party.
Opposition from a Green MLA scuttled an NDP attempt to amend the bill to enshrine First Nations consultation in law earlier this week.
A subsequent 11th-hour attempt by the Greens to delay voting on the bill was defeated by the NDP.
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