Canada builds its resilience – Lexpert Canada builds its resilience – Lexpert

The Building Canada Act (BCA) was passed by Parliament in 2025 as a direct response to U.S. tariffs. The law aims to fast-track major infrastructure projects and grow the Canadian economy by removing some of the red tape that can prevent projects from moving forward.

In an interview with Lexpert, Jeremy Fraiberg, partner and Co-Chair of the Mergers and Acquisitions group, says he expects the BCA to ramp up transactional activity across the country.

“By streamlining the regulatory approval process, the BCA should spur additional investment in designated ‘national interest projects,’” says Jeremy.

The BCA was one of the components of Bill C-5, which received royal assent in June 2025 and contained a second component that removed federal barriers to interprovincial trade. According to the federal government, the numerous unilateral tariffs the U.S. levied on Canada after President Donald Trump took office for a second time underscored the need for Canada to diversify its trading partners and strengthen its economy.

The BCA contributes to this goal by empowering the government to classify infrastructure projects as being in the national interest if they meet certain criteria, including strengthening Canada’s autonomy, resilience and security; providing economic or other benefits to Canada; advancing the interest of Indigenous Peoples; and contributing to the country’s climate change goals. When a project receives a “national interest” designation, it can bypass a range of federal requirements, including the planning phase that is typically mandatory for certain projects under the Impact Assessment Act.

Read the full article by author Jessica Mach posted on April 15, 2026.