‘It’s sad’: former minister Dion says project approval revamp pitch latest in ‘trend’ of climate policy backlash

A 'shocking' May 8 federal discussion paper proposes exempting projects from environmental impact assessments, and reads like a 'fantasy wish list from the oil and gas industry,' says one environmental advocate.

Former environment minister Stéphane Dion says he 'strongly' believes in environmental impact assessments, which the feds are proposing to skip for some project developments in a new government discussion paper that outlines sweeping changes to Canada’s regulatory framework. The Hill Times photograph by Jake Wright

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BY ELEANOR WAND

May 14, 2026

Former Liberal environment minister Stéphane Dion says Ottawa's recent proposal to streamline major project reviews—which some environmentalists say could result in “the most consequential change to the fabric of Canadian environmental law in a generation”—is the la...

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