Submission to the Government of Canada, Major Projects Office on “Getting Major Projects Built in Canada – Discussion Paper on Proposed Legislative, Regulatory and Policy Reform”

Gender-Based Analysis Plus (GBA Plus) Assessments of economic development projects are required under the federal Impact Assessment Act since 2019. GBA Plus identifies barriers for specific groups to equally access benefits from an economic project. The need for proactive measures is identified to address barriers to community well-being, develop inclusive methods of community engagement and gather intersectional data to monitor impacts on diverse, marginalized people. This requirement is at risk for major economic projects approved for fast-tracking by the federal government.

CRIAW-ICREF outlines its concerns in this submission to the Major Project Office consultation in advance of enabling legislation expected this fall. In this submission, we protest an unreasonably short public consultation period for changes that would reverse important advances towards more equitable economic project outcomes and roll back Canada’s commitments and obligations to both gender equality and Indigenous rights. We call for the removal of a one-year time limit for project reviews to prevent harm to communities, and we argue against the creation of special economic zones to fast-track development, which remove the need for GBA Plus for project-specific assessments and undermine existing measures to protect the environment and species at risk.