The BC Green Caucus has issued a statement of intent declaring it will not support Bill 15, the Infrastructure Projects Act:
“Bill 15, in its current form, grants the NDP cabinet sweeping powers to bypass environmental assessment, municipal authorities, and the jurisdiction of First Nations under the guise of fast-tracking major infrastructure projects,” said Jeremy Valeriote, Interim BC Greens Leader and MLA for West Vancouver–Sea to Sky.
“We agree that hospitals, schools, and public infrastructure need to be expedited, and that unnecessary red tape must be removed to get these projects built,” said Valeriote. “However, our concern lies with the bill’s provisions allowing the province to approve any project it deems ‘provincially-significant’—a term that remains undefined and vague.”
The Caucus emphasizes that its opposition is not ideological.
“We do not oppose government legislation for the sake of opposition,” added Rob Botterell, House Leader and MLA for Saanich North and the Islands. “We worked constructively to improve the government’s tariff response bill, Bill 7; we successfully pushed for the removal of Part 4, which would have consolidated unnecessary power in the cabinet; and we further succeeded in introducing amendments that ensure there is transparency and oversight in Bill 7. There is a troubling trend of legislation from this government that concentrates power and reduces oversight—a trend also visible in Bill 14, the Renewable Energy Projects Act.”
“We’re deeply concerned about the consolidation of power within the BC Energy Regulator under Bill 14. This is a regulator already under public scrutiny for allowing oil and gas companies to sidestep environmental protections,” Valeriote said. “Bills 14 and 15 together signal a direction for provincial governance that sidelines communities, environmental standards, and Indigenous rights.”
“British Columbia has a long and troubling history of overriding Indigenous authority in favour of resource development,” said Botterell. “Granting the provincial government unchecked authority to bypass local and Indigenous decision-making, whether now or under a future government, is deeply concerning.”
“A fast-tracked approach that skips over consultation is more likely to lead to unintended consequences, so we need to see real amendments and meaningful concessions from the government,” added Botterell. “Otherwise, we cannot support legislation that places short-term expediency over long-term rights, transparency, and accountability.”
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Media contact
Ryan Hook
Press Secretary
BC Green Caucus
+1 250-882-6187 | ryan.hook@leg.bc.ca