Canada Minute: Issue 37

Canada Minute - Your weekly one-minute summary of Canadian politics.

📅 This Week In Canada: 📅

• Prime Minister Mark Carney has unveiled five “nation-building” projects that will be fast-tracked through the new Major Projects Office, including the expansion of LNG Canada in Kitimat, the Darlington New Nuclear Project in Ontario, the Contrecoeur Port expansion in Montreal, and two major mining projects in Saskatchewan and British Columbia. Together, these projects are projected to generate more than $60 billion for the Canadian economy and create tens of thousands of jobs. Carney argued that Canada needs to move past bureaucratic delays and focus on building large-scale infrastructure quickly, with future tranches of projects - such as carbon capture, Arctic development, and high-speed rail - expected in the coming months. He emphasized that the selected projects already meet many regulatory requirements and align with Canada’s climate goals by being lower-carbon. The announcement drew praise from some Premiers, including Alberta’s Danielle Smith, who welcomed federal openness to large projects but pushed for a new pipeline. Conservatives dismissed the initiative as bureaucratic window-dressing, while environmental groups criticized LNG expansion as harmful to climate progress. Carney said the government’s role will be to provide initial investment and regulatory support, while drawing in larger private-sector funding.
  
  
• Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government plans to introduce legislation this fall aimed at protecting people accessing religious, cultural, and educational buildings amid rising hate-motivated incidents. The bill is expected to create three new Criminal Code offences, including intimidation, obstruction, and a new hate crime offence for actions motivated by bias against identifiable groups. The move comes after reports of bomb threats, vandalism, and harassment targeting mosques, synagogues, schools, and community centres, with hate crimes in Canada nearly doubling between 2020 and 2024. Justice Minister Sean Fraser emphasized that while Ottawa cannot restrict protest zones, it can criminalize threatening or obstructive behaviour near such institutions, with exemptions for lawful advocacy. While Jewish and Muslim groups have called the move overdue but necessary, Conservatives argue the Liberals failed to act sooner and vow to review the bill closely. The government is also expected to propose escalating penalties for hate-motivated crimes.
  
  
• Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is proposing tough-on-crime legislation, including a private member’s bill called the "Jail Not Bail Act," aimed at tightening bail rules and keeping repeat or serious offenders off the streets. His plan would require judges to consider an accused’s full criminal history and prevent individuals convicted of indictable offences from acting as guarantors. Poilievre also supports a “three-strikes” rule that would bar repeat serious offenders from bail, probation, parole, or house arrest. He argues that some communities have become “war zones,” citing cases where violent crimes occurred shortly after bail was granted. The Liberal government is set to introduce its own bail reforms this fall, targeting offences such as carjackings, home invasions, and human trafficking.
  
  
• Some Canadian plasma donors have expressed surprise and concern that byproducts from their donations are being sold to the Spanish pharmaceutical company Grifols for profit. Canadian Blood Services (CBS) entered an agreement with Grifols in February 2025, allowing the company to use these byproducts (that would otherwise be thrown away) to manufacture albumin at its Montreal facility. Critics, including the Canadian Health Coalition, warn that the arrangement risks undermining public trust and could complicate Canada’s blood supply system. Experts, however, note that Canada is still suffering from a severe domestic shortage of plasma donations, leaving us reliant on imports from the US, where donors are paid. Peter Jaworski, who teaches business ethics at Georgetown University, points out that public-private partnerships between CBS and Grifols, and the expansion of pay-for-plasma centres, have seen Canada increase donations to 27% of plasma needed for local consumption, compared to just 19% in 2023.
  
  
• The federal government has launched a new strategy aimed at reducing animal use in regulatory testing of chemicals, though it does not apply to drugs, medical products, or food. The policy emphasizes the 3Rs - refinement, reduction, and replacement - by encouraging alternatives such as computer modelling or tissue-based testing. Animal rights groups welcomed the move, noting it could spare thousands of animals each year, but experts say its impact will depend on government funding and prioritization. Critics also highlight that animal testing remains essential for certain regulatory approvals, particularly for new drugs and safety assessments. The strategy follows previous measures like the 2023 ban on animal testing for cosmetics and reflects ongoing consultations under Bill S-5 amendments to the Canadian Environmental Protection Act. 

🚨 This Week’s Action Item: 🚨