Confederation saved... for now!

This morning, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that the Impact Assessment Act is unconstitutional.

Commonly known as the “No More Pipelines Law”, the law was passed by the federal Liberals in 2019 but, as we've outlined ever since, the law was actually much worse than even its nickname suggests.

It gave the federal government the power to block the construction of a wide range of energy and infrastructure projects - not just pipelines.

And these projects that could be blocked weren't just inter-provincial projects, like pipelines or railways that cross provincial borders (where the federal government has a legitimate - though still limited - role to play).

No, the Impact Assessment Act also claimed to give the federal government the authority to reject projects that are being built entirely within a single province, simply because the project might affect something that the federal government is partially responsible for.

That's why Alberta asked the Supreme Court to rule on the law and, such was the magnitude of the potential harm, seven other provinces joined Alberta’s side in the court case - Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Saskatchewan.

This was a clear infringement on provincial constitutional jurisdiction.

Well, it was clear to everyone except the federal government, it seems.

5 of the 7 justices who heard the case have ruled the law almost entirely unconstitutional.

This is a massive win for all Canadians.

It's also a huge endorsement of our strategy here at Project Confederation, to pressure our representatives to stand up for our province at every possible opportunity.

Way back in 2019, when we first suggested that a series of constitutional reference cases would be helpful, we were laughed at by many.

But through multiple federal and provincial elections, through public meetings, court cases, and multiple Premiers in multiple provinces, we've been relentless in our mission to build a movement and a consensus across Canada that provinces' rights must be respected.

And, now, as a result of us doing just that - standing up for ourselves finally - we have a big win.

It's not - by any stretch of the imagination - the end of the fight, of course.

If anything, it's just the beginning - the federal government are bound to respond and try to impose these rules in a slightly different way.

But, for today at least, let's take the win.

A massive thank you has to be given to all the researchers, volunteers, donors, and supporters who have helped in a myriad of ways to get us to this point.

We couldn't have done this without you.

Tomorrow, though, we get started on the unconstitutional carbon tax, the unconstitutional clean electricity regulations, and more.

We've seen, now, what we can achieve together.

But, we have to keep going.

So, if you're in a position to help us continue this fight, and keep up the momentum we've built, please do so.

You can help in three main ways:

1) Ask your friends, family, and co-workers to sign up for our newsletter to learn more.

2) If you haven't already, sign up to volunteer in a variety of online/phone/in-person ways.

3) If you are in a position to contribute financially, please consider making a donation to fund our vital work:

Literally, every single thing we do as an organization is funded by donations from supporters like you, and without that ongoing support, we wouldn't be able to keep track of these big issues, research and analyze them, and keep you informed about what's going on.

So please, help us get where we need to go, to rebuild national unity and build a country where the provinces are respected as equal partners, not subordinates of a controlling and intrusive federal government.

Regards,

Josh Andrus
Executive Director
Project Confederation