Government weighs Bill 5 changes, minister says ‘essence’ won’t change | Globalnews.ca
The Ford government says it is working on amendments to its most controversial piece of new legislation, but a senior minister says the changes won’t move won’t touch the “essence” of the bill.
The Protect Ontario by Unleashing our Economy Act, also known as Bill 5, was proposed by the province to speed up mining projects in the north and has been met with a fierce wave of backlash from First Nations leaders and environmental groups.
As part of the legislation, the province is set to create so-called special economic zones that would suspend provincial and municipal laws for certain projects.
Premier Doug Ford has said the province intends to declare the critical mineral-rich Ring of Fire in northern Ontario one such zone.
Since the bill’s introduction, however, the government has faced sustained pressure to walk the plan back — and this week, it began indicating changes could be on the horizon.
“Confirming we are working on further amendments to be introduced later,” a spokesperson for the premier’s office said.
Get breaking National news
For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen.
Only one change has been made public so far, with plans to tweak the preamble of the bill. Preambles set out the purpose of legislation and explain its context, but don’t make changes in the way individual clauses do.
While the government hasn’t said what it plans to change about the proposed law — the environment minister indicated they may be minor.
“We believe that the essence of the bill is sound and that it strikes the right balance,” Todd McCarthy, the minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks, told Global News.
“But if there is a need for reassurance in terms of what’s in the bill and our respect for the constitutional duty to consult, then you can assured that the bill will not only have that — because it’s already in Section three Schedule 10 — but also any amendments to the preamble would give comfort to Indigenous communities that we are serious about the duty to consult going forward.”
McCarthy said the changes to the bill’s preamble were important “because they guide the courts and their interpretation of that bill.”
The opposition, however, is calling on the government to abandon the proposed law entirely — saying the legislation is not worth saving.
“Things have gone too far in the wrong direction,” Ontario NDP Leader Marit Stiles said. “It’s time to do the right thing, withdraw Bill 5, and go back to the drawing board.”
The bill is currently at committee and is scheduled to pass before the legislature rises for the summer.
“If the bill comes out of committee — amended or not — there’s third reading and then there’s a regulatory consultation process and there’s going to be a fulsome series of consultations with First Nations,” McCarthy said.
— With files from The Canadian Press
© 2025 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
