EventAction
House unanimously adopts a Bloc Québécois amendment shielding the Canada Labour Code from Bill C-5's exemption powers, 337–0
On 20 June 2025, at report stage of Bill C-5, the House of Commons adopted Motion No. 18, moved by Bloc Québécois MP Marilène Gill, by 337 votes to 0 (vote no. 30), with MPs of all parties voting yes. The amendment added the Canada Labour Code to a list in clause 4 of the proposed Building Canada Act. In a point of order that day, Conservative MP Philip Lawrence said the motion sought "to add the Canada Labour Code to the list of laws that are carved out from the scope of clauses 21 and 22 of the proposed building Canada act," the provisions that let cabinet set aside other federal laws for designated national-interest projects. He said its effect was that the Code could never be added to the bill's schedule 2.
- Date
- Kind
- Legislation
- Where
- Canada
- Evidence
- Action: Something was done: a law switched on, a tariff imposed, money committed. How evidence is weighed
- Who
- House of Commons of Canada (acted)
Sources
- openparliament.ca, “House of Commons vote 45-1 #30: Bill C-5 report stage amendment (Motion 18)” (external site), . source record
- openparliament.ca, “House of Commons Debates, 20 June 2025 (45th Parliament, 1st Session)” (external site), . source record
Laws and agreements
Claims that rest on this event
- Ottawa is opportunistic, following 'never waste a good crisis': it used the mandate and political cover of the tariff era to pass fast-track and tax tools. This judgment says nothing about Washington's intent.
The House, Liberals included, unanimously adopted a Bloc Québécois motion (337-0) adding the Canada Labour Code to the laws the bill's exemption powers cannot touch: a limit on the fast-track power, proposed by the opposition rather than by Ottawa.
How it bears on the outcome
| Explanation | Fit | Why |
|---|---|---|
| O0 No meaningful speed-up | Neutral weak | Shielding the Labour Code from the override powers is a narrow, unanimous limit; it does not tell the outcome readings apart. |
| O1 Faster, but the extra output goes mostly elsewhere | Neutral weak | Shielding the Labour Code from the override powers is a narrow, unanimous limit; it does not tell the outcome readings apart. |
| O2 Faster, and more volume reaches the US (this level or higher) | Neutral weak | Shielding the Labour Code from the override powers is a narrow, unanimous limit; it does not tell the outcome readings apart. |
| O3 Locked-in preferential terms for the US | Neutral weak | Shielding the Labour Code from the override powers is a narrow, unanimous limit; it does not tell the outcome readings apart. |