Prime Minister Mark Carney delivers a press conference, June 25, 2026. Photo courtesy Mark Carney/Facebook.

It has been one year since Prime Minister Mark Carney introduced the Building Canada Act in Parliament. Since then, a succession of new laws has hollowed out legal protections for the environment, Indigenous rights, migration, and labour.

The act itself establishes a fast-track approvals system for “projects of national interest” that authorizes ministers to override existing laws protecting the environment and Indigenous rights, including the duty to consult.

A total of 19 government bills received royal assent during the spring sitting, while two other key pieces of legislation passed the House of Commons and will be taken up by the Senate this fall. Among them are carve-outs allowing Cabinet to approve harmful pesticides even when Health Canada has deemed them too dangerous. The Clean Water Act also carves out the human right to water contained in earlier versions of the legislation. That right has now been downgraded to a mere goal of “progressive realization” in addressing the First Nations water crisis.

The Lawful Access Act reintroduces the most controversial provisions of the Strong Borders Act, proposing new surveillance authorizations alongside integrated enforcement and data-sharing systems with the United States. The Combatting Hate Act was opposed by more than 40 civil society organizations over serious concerns........

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