Quebec environmental lawyers group sues Ottawa over major projects bill

MONTREAL – A group of environmental lawyers says it has filed a lawsuit in Quebec Superior Court challenging the validity of the federal government’s major projects law.

Centre québécois du droit de l’environnement says the legislation gives the government excessive powers and jeopardizes democracy and environmental protections.

Prime Minister Mark Carney has said the law passed in June aims to speed up federal approval for projects of national interest, such as mines, ports, and pipelines.

The government passed the law to boost the economy and strengthen Canada’s sovereignty in response to the trade war launched by the United States.

Geneviève Paul, executive director of the environmental group, says the law removes the ability of the public and the courts to act as a check on government decisions, a role protected by the Constitution.

Paul says projects will be greenlit without full consideration of their potential impacts, adding that the law allows Ottawa to set aside some federal and provincial environmental regulations.

“We are talking about projects with potentially serious impacts … impacts that may be irreversible on our ecosystems, water, and air,” Paul said in an interview.

The federal government has unveiled the first five major infrastructure projects selected for accelerated approval: an expansion of the Port of Montreal; work to double liquefied natural gas production in British Columbia; a small modular nuclear reactor in Ontario; and a pair of mines in Saskatchewan and northwestern B.C.

In addition to the environmental group’s lawsuit, nine First Nations in Ontario have asked the Ontario Superior Court to declare the law unconstitutional. They argue that it poses a “clear and present danger” to First Nations’ right to self-determination regarding their way of life on their territories.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2025.

— with files from Kyle Duggan in Edmonton