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5 Bill C-15 Division Summaries with Vote Questions. Read each summary. Then vote below.
- Division 40: Building Canada
- Division 41: Cdn Energy Regulator
- Division 42: Cdn Enviro Protection
- Division 43: Competition Act
- Division 44: Ntl School Food Program
- Division 45: Stablecoin
DIVISION 40 — Building Canada Act Building Canada Act (2025, c. 2, s. 4) — s. 592
What the Bill Says One paragraph replaced. The criteria for evaluating infrastructure projects under the Building Canada Act is amended so that project assessments must consider the extent to which a project is expected to meet outcomes set out in paragraphs 5(6)(a) to (e) — replacing a narrower reference that previously applied.
Plain Language Summary A technical cross-reference correction in the Building Canada Act — passed earlier this year. It aligns the project evaluation criteria with the full set of outcomes defined elsewhere in the same Act.
A Closer Look The Building Canada Act is months old. Zero projects approved under it. Grand speeches about Canadian sovereignty and fast-tracking infrastructure. Then a quiet criteria expansion slips into a 45-division Budget Bill — no named project, no debate, no explanation of what the old criteria was blocking or what the new criteria now opens the door to.
If the fast-track was working, you don't need to quietly widen the gate.
The question worth asking: whose projects get easier approval under the broadened criteria?
DIVISION 41 Canadian Energy Regulator Act Canadian Energy Regulator Act (2019, c. 28, s. 10) — ss. 593–594
What the Bill Says
Division 41 creates a distinct licensing regime for liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports, separate from pipeline natural gas exports.
LNG export licences (s. 593): Maximum validity of 50 years — the longest export licence term in the Act. Start date fixed in the licence itself.
Natural gas export licences (s. 594): Maximum validity remains 40 years — now explicitly carved out to exclude LNG, which gets its own longer term.
Definitions of liquefied natural gas (natural gas in liquid state) and natural gas (at least 85% methane, gaseous at standard conditions) are added to the Act.
Plain Language Summary
LNG export projects — terminals, tanker contracts, long-term supply agreements — require decades-long investment horizons to be commercially viable. Division 41 gives LNG exporters a 50-year licence window, 10 years longer than pipeline gas, to support the capital certainty needed to build and finance LNG infrastructure. This directly supports Canada's LNG export ambitions, particularly to Asian markets.
DIVISION 42 Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (1999, c. 33) — ss. 595–596
What the Bill Says
Two targeted amendments to equivalency and administrative agreement provisions:
Termination notice (ss. 595, 596): Both federal-provincial administrative agreements and equivalency agreements under CEPA can now be terminated by either party giving the other at least three months notice — replacing previous termination language.
Equivalency standard (s. 596): Provincial provisions qualify for equivalency if they are equivalent in effect to federal CEPA regulations — clarifying that the test is outcomes-based, not identical-text-based.
Plain Language Summary
Clean and technical. Division 42 tidies up two types of federal-provincial environmental agreements under CEPA — standardizing the termination notice period at three months for both, and clarifying that provinces don't need to copy federal regulations word-for-word to qualify for equivalency, just match them in effect. Housekeeping with a small but meaningful policy clarification on equivalency.
Under CEPA, the federal government retains the authority to set environmental standards and can reclaim enforcement from a province on three months notice — provinces are not regaining jurisdiction, they are borrowing enforcement while the federal standard remains in place.
DIVISION 43 Competition Act Competition Act (R.S., c. C-34) — ss. 597–598
What the Bill Says
Division 43 makes two targeted amendments to the greenwashing provisions of the Competition Act.
Substantiation standard (s. 597): The existing prohibition on unsubstantiated environmental claims is amended to clarify that representations about the environmental or climate benefits of a business or business activity must be based on adequate and proper substantiation — and the burden of proof lies on the person making the claim.
Private access carve-out (ss. 597–598): The greenwashing provision explicitly does not apply to private party applications — meaning only the Commissioner of Competition, not private litigants, can bring greenwashing cases under this provision. The Tribunal is prohibited from granting leave to private applicants seeking to pursue greenwashing claims.
Plain Language Summary
Division 43 locks in two things simultaneously: it strengthens the greenwashing standard by putting the proof burden squarely on the company making the environmental claim — and it shuts the door on private lawsuits using that same provision. Only the Competition Bureau can pursue greenwashing cases; competitors, consumers and advocacy groups cannot bring their own applications. Public enforcement only, no private right of action.
DIVISION 44 National School Food Program Act ss. 599 (enacting the National School Food Program Act)
Education is assigned exclusively to provinces under section 93 of the Constitution Act, 1867. The federal government has no direct constitutional authority over school programs. Division 44 does not deliver food or run programs directly — it offers funding through agreements with provinces, territories and Indigenous governing bodies. Provinces are not required to participate. Federal funding conditions, including the six guiding principles and Official Languages Act obligations, apply only to provinces and territories that enter into agreements.
What the Bill Says
Division 44 enacts an entirely new standalone Act — the National School Food Program Act — establishing the legal foundation for Canada's national school food program.
Purpose (s. 4): Sets out the government's long-term vision, commitment to maintaining long-term funding, and guiding principles for ongoing investments.
Declaration (s. 5): Declares that all children and youth in Canada should have access to nutritious food at school in an inclusive, non-stigmatizing setting. Six guiding principles: accessibility, health promotion, inclusivity, flexibility, sustainability and accountability. First Nations, Inuit and Métis children are best served by culturally appropriate programs designed and delivered by their own communities.
Funding (ss. 6–7): Federal investments must be guided by the declared principles. Funding must flow through agreements with provinces, territories or Indigenous governing bodies — no direct federal delivery. Official Languages Act commitments apply to provincial/territorial agreements.
Reporting (s. 8): The Minister must table an annual report in Parliament covering federal investments made and progress on program principles — within 15 sitting days of completion.
Ministerial designation (s. 3): Governor in Council designates the responsible Minister by order.
Plain Language Summary
Division 44 gives Canada's school food program a statutory home for the first time — moving it from a budget commitment to an Act of Parliament with declared principles, a funding commitment and mandatory annual reporting to Parliament.
The federal government does not deliver food directly — all funding flows through agreements with provinces, territories and Indigenous governing bodies. Indigenous communities are explicitly recognized as best positioned to design and deliver their own programs.
The Minister responsible for the program is designated by Cabinet order — Parliament has no role in confirming or approving that appointment.
The funding commitment is declared but not quantified in the Act itself — amounts remain subject to annual appropriations and negotiated agreements.
DIVISION 45 Stablecoin Act ss. 600–606 (enacting the Stablecoin Act and consequential amendments)
The Bank of Canada holds exclusive access to the financial, governance and technology details of every registered stablecoin issuer — including monthly statements, reserve compliance certifications and incident reports. This information is exempt from Access to Information requests. Competitors, investors and the public have no right to see what the regulator knows. The Minister of Finance may additionally share issuer information with national security agencies and may classify the existence of those orders as confidential.
What the Bill Says
Division 45 enacts an entirely new standalone Act — the Stablecoin Act — creating Canada's first comprehensive federal regulatory framework for stablecoins.
What is regulated: Any digital asset designed to maintain a stable value relative to one fiat currency, with interprovincial or international reach. Closed-loop stablecoins and federally regulated financial institutions are excluded by default. Central banks are fully exempt.
Registry of issuers (ss. 15–29): No one may issue a stablecoin in Canada without being listed on a public Bank of Canada registry. Applications require detailed disclosure of ownership, technology, governance, risk management, legal opinions and accountant certifications. The Bank of Canada supervises; the Minister of Finance holds national security veto power over any application — with authority to extend review periods, demand additional information and direct refusal.
Issuer prohibitions (ss. 30–34): Issuers cannot pay interest or yield on stablecoins, cannot represent stablecoins as legal tender, deposits or government-insured instruments, and cannot make false or misleading public statements.
Reserve requirements (ss. 37–39): Issuers must maintain a reserve of assets equal to or greater than the par value of all outstanding stablecoins — held exclusively in the reference currency or high-quality liquid assets, placed with qualified custodians, segregated from all other assets and protected from creditor claims.
Mandatory policies (ss. 40–44): Issuers must establish, implement and publish governance, risk management, data security and recovery and resolution policies — all subject to Bank of Canada review.
Reporting (ss. 46–51): Monthly financial statements to the Bank of Canada; regular certified accountant and independent legal opinions on reserve compliance; immediate incident notification; notice of any significant change.
Bank of Canada enforcement (ss. 59–66): The Bank may request information, impose conditions, require undertakings, enter compliance agreements, issue directions and recommend ministerial prohibition orders.
Minister of Finance powers (ss. 67–76): The Minister may designate security agencies to receive issuer information, impose national security conditions and undertakings, issue temporary and permanent orders restricting or prohibiting stablecoin issuance, and classify information as confidential — including the existence of orders themselves.
Administrative monetary penalties (ss. 79–92): A full violations and penalties regime with notices of violation, representations, Federal Court appeals, debt recovery and public disclosure of violations.
Consequential amendments (ss. 601–606): The Stablecoin Act is added to the Access to Information Act Schedule II (protecting supervisory information from ATI requests); FINTRAC gains authority to share intelligence with the Bank of Canada for stablecoin supervision; the Retail Payment Activities Act is amended to bring private key custody and tokenized payment instruments within the definition of payment functions.
Plain Language Summary
Canada is building a regulatory fence around stablecoins before they get big enough to matter to the financial system. To issue a stablecoin in Canada, you need Bank of Canada approval, a fully backed reserve held by a qualified custodian and segregated from everything else, four published policies, monthly financial reporting, independent legal and accounting sign-offs — and you cannot pay interest, call it a deposit or claim government backing.
The Minister of Finance holds a national security override at every stage: application, ongoing operations and shutdown. Orders can be kept secret. CSIS, the RCMP and CSE are explicitly named as government authorities that can receive issuer information.
This is not a light-touch framework. It is a full prudential regime modeled on how banks are regulated — applied to crypto.