Bill C-39 and Canada’s Regulatory Alphabet Soup: Former CER CEO Gitane De Silva Explains

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The federal government introduced Bill C-39 (Building Canada Strong Act) on September 21, 2026. The bill aims to complete project reviews in one year, with a single window for proponents, rather than requiring them to deal with multiple federal and provincial agencies. Business stakeholders have responded positively to the draft legislation. 

This week on the podcast, our guest is Gitane De Silva, Founder & President of GDStrategic, Executive Director of the Peter Lougheed School of Politics and Democracy at the University of Alberta, and former CEO of the Canada Energy Regulator (CER). 

Gitane helps us understand the proposed regulatory process, how it compares with the fast-track process under Bill C-5 (which the new Pacific Link, formerly known as the West Coast Oil Pipeline, will follow), and the process established under Bill C-69, famously called the “No New Pipelines Bill.” She also explains the roles of the various agencies involved, depending on the type of project being reviewed. 

Content referenced in this podcast: 

• The Alberta Government’s website on the Pacific Link oil pipeline (formerly known as West Coast Oil Pipeline) 
• The Government of Canada's background document on Bill C-39 
• The full text of Bill C-39 
• The Hub.com article by Sean Speer “Carney’s moves on building and labour are an outright rejection of Trudeau economics” (Sept 26) 
• CBC “Facing criticism, Carney says he has a 'very clear mandate' to push through major economic changes (Sept 22) 

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