Weekly Roundup - September 25, 2026
Top Federal Stories
With the House back in session on Monday, Government House Leader and Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon tabled a flagship economic bill, Bill C-39, the Building Canada Strong Act. It is designed to deliver what the government calls “one project, one review, and one year to a decision”. It sets a one-year deadline for federal impact assessment decisions where the Impact Assessment Agency leads, makes the Canada Energy Regulator the sole assessor for pipelines, designates power lines and offshore renewables, and lets cabinet designate “regions of national interest” under the Building Canada Act once a regional assessment and consultations with provinces and affected Indigenous peoples are complete.
Unions are opposed to labour provisions in the legislation. The bill rewrites section 107 of the Canada Labour Code so that, during a lawful strike or lockout, the minister can direct the Canada Industrial Relations Board to order a return to work, extend the collective agreement or impose a binding method of settlement only after considering a special mediator’s report, and only where the dispute “adversely affects or may adversely affect the national interest.” Where no first collective agreement is reached within nine months of notice to bargain, either party can apply to the board, which must order a binding method of resolution, suspending the right to strike or lock out until the dispute is settled. Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) President Bea Bruske said “a right you cannot exercise is not a right,” and a lawyer at the CLC’s news conference called the bill “the clearest possible violation” of the Charter. The Canadian Chamber of Commerce supported the dispute-resolution changes. Assembly of First Nations National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak warned Prime Minister Mark Carney against “abusing” his majority to pass the bill, saying limiting debate and consultation would risk dishonouring the Crown. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre called the bill “all talk, no results,” saying no new major projects have been approved under last year’s Bill C-5.
Outside the bill, Ottawa offered Indigenous groups a collective 15 per cent stake in the Trans Mountain pipeline, financed through a low-cost federal loan after consultations with 129 First Nations. Details will be presented in four western cities in late October, with up to $100,000 per eligible group for participation costs. A Canada Gazette notice on September 19 took the next step toward listing the Nuclear Waste Management Organization’s deep geological repository, which would hold Canada’s used nuclear fuel, as a project of national interest under the Building Canada Act. Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation and the Township of Ignace are the proposed host communities. Comments close October 26.
With just over three weeks until Alberta’s October 19 referendum, new polling shows support for separation is slipping alongside Premier Danielle Smith’s approval. A Janet Brown Opinion Research survey found 72 per cent of Albertans would vote to remain in Canada, while 23 per cent would support beginning the legal process toward a binding separation referendum. The poll also points to a broader shift in sentiment, with the share of Albertans who feel more attached to Alberta than Canada falling from 33 per cent in April to 23 per cent, while those who feel more attached to Canada rose from 34 to 40 per cent.
It’s a different story within the UCP base, where 53 per cent of party supporters surveyed back the separation option, putting Smith in the difficult position of campaigning to remain in Canada while a majority of her own supporters favour the alternative. That tension is spilling into the party itself, with the Highwood constituency association calling for a leadership review ahead of the UCP’s November convention. While another 21 constituency associations would need to follow suit to force a special leadership vote, the Premier is likely feeling the heat as polling suggests the UCP’s recent by-election loss in Calgary-Shaw may reflect broader political pressures rather than an isolated byelection result.
The latest provincewide numbers put the UCP and NDP in a 41-41 tie with the UCP falling eight points since April, including a 10-point drop in perennial battleground Calgary.
Starting October 1, Albertans will get a break at the pumps, with the province pausing its 13-cent-per-litre fuel tax through the end of the year. The government program adjusts the levy based on the price of West Texas Intermediate, which averaged $90.54 per barrel in the third quarter - high enough to trigger a full suspension. Smith framed the move as cost-of-living relief and part of maintaining the “Alberta Advantage.” It’s a shift in approach after the government earlier this year opted to introduce a $100 rebate for eligible Albertans rather than suspend the tax as fuel prices climbed. After years of calls for expanded health care in one of Alberta’s fastest-growing communities, the province has announced a new health centre for Airdrie. The Airdrie Covenant Health Centre will include an urgent care and birthing centre, as well as a primary, surgical and ambulatory care facility, adding more than 300,000 square feet of health-care space. Once operational, it is expected to support more than 30,000 urgent care visits, 1,000 births and approximately 10,000 surgeries each year.
The Premier acknowledged the facility will not be a hospital, but pointed to available land for potential future expansion, while the province has yet to release a total project cost or firm completion date.
Top Ontario Stories
Ontario spent $13 billion more than it took in last year, according to the province's final year-end numbers released Thursday. That's better than the government expected when it made its budget in 2025, but a bit worse than it predicted this spring. Much of the good news came from higher profits at the province's electricity companies and lower borrowing costs, and neither of those is guaranteed to last. Meanwhile, spending on hospitals and schools rose by almost $9 billion in a single year. Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy said running a deficit isn't ideal but "reflects the world we are in."
Labour tension in schools is growing. The union for more than 50,000 school support staff, including custodians, educational assistants and office workers, will vote on whether to strike in November. It's the third education union to hold a strike vote this fall. The government is also facing criticism over a $66 million deal that requires teachers to buy classroom supplies through Staples. Teachers say prices are higher and orders arrive late, and the NDP wants the province's independent auditor to investigate. The government says the deal was fair, though the education minister admits there have been problems.
It was also a tough week for Ontario's auto industry. Volkswagen pushed back the opening of its $7 billion electric-vehicle battery plant in St. Thomas by two years, to 2029, because fewer people are buying EVs than expected. The delay comes after the federal government scrapped the previous mandate requiring all new vehicle sales to be electric by 2035. Governments have promised up to $13.7 billion in support for the plant, so the delay means taxpayers will wait longer to see jobs from it. Separately, the contract for more than 9,000 Stellantis autoworkers expired without a new deal. The biggest issue is the future of the company's plant in Brampton. A strike isn't possible yet, because the two sides first have to finish a government-supervised mediation process.
once that concludes. Both votes fall two weeks after MPPs return on October 27.
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