The BC Greens have declared that they will not be supporting the BC NDP's Bill 15, the Infrastructure Projects Act.If Premier David Eby's party is unable to convince the two Green MLAs to change their minds, it could put his governance at risk, potentially triggering another election."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," Interim BC Greens leader Jeremy Valeriote said. He argued that while his party agrees that hospitals, schools, and public infrastructure "need to be expedited, and that unnecessary red tape must be removed to get these projects built," Bill 15 errs by giving the government the ability to "approve any project it deems 'provincially-significant' — a term that remains undefined and vague."."We do not oppose government legislation for the sake of opposition," BC Greens House Leader Rob Botterell added, noting that he and Valeriote had "worked constructively" with the BC NDP on a number of bills. "We're deeply concerned about the consolidation of power within the BC Energy Regulator under Bill 14 ... Bills 14 and 15 together signal a direction for provincial governance that sidelines communities, environmental standards, and Indigenous rights."Botterell went on to point out that BC has a "long and troubling history of overriding Indigenous authority in favour of resource development," adding that, "a fast-tracked approach that skips over consultation is more likely to lead to unintended consequences.""We need to see real amendments and meaningful concessions from the government," he concluded. "Otherwise, we cannot support legislation that places short-term expediency over long-term rights, transparency, and accountability."The BC Greens signed a four-year supply-and-confidence agreement with the BC NDP, thus because Bill 15 is considered a bill of confidence, the two MLAs' failure to sign off on it would throw the House into disarray.
The BC Greens have declared that they will not be supporting the BC NDP's Bill 15, the Infrastructure Projects Act.If Premier David Eby's party is unable to convince the two Green MLAs to change their minds, it could put his governance at risk, potentially triggering another election."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," Interim BC Greens leader Jeremy Valeriote said. He argued that while his party agrees that hospitals, schools, and public infrastructure "need to be expedited, and that unnecessary red tape must be removed to get these projects built," Bill 15 errs by giving the government the ability to "approve any project it deems 'provincially-significant' — a term that remains undefined and vague."."We do not oppose government legislation for the sake of opposition," BC Greens House Leader Rob Botterell added, noting that he and Valeriote had "worked constructively" with the BC NDP on a number of bills. "We're deeply concerned about the consolidation of power within the BC Energy Regulator under Bill 14 ... Bills 14 and 15 together signal a direction for provincial governance that sidelines communities, environmental standards, and Indigenous rights."Botterell went on to point out that BC has a "long and troubling history of overriding Indigenous authority in favour of resource development," adding that, "a fast-tracked approach that skips over consultation is more likely to lead to unintended consequences.""We need to see real amendments and meaningful concessions from the government," he concluded. "Otherwise, we cannot support legislation that places short-term expediency over long-term rights, transparency, and accountability."The BC Greens signed a four-year supply-and-confidence agreement with the BC NDP, thus because Bill 15 is considered a bill of confidence, the two MLAs' failure to sign off on it would throw the House into disarray.
