In a time of global uncertainty and economic unrest, it’s easy to view the world through a human-centric lens and forget our place in things. We humans are a part of nature’s ecosystem, not separate from it, and so, as our governments scramble with reactive policy and amendments to federal law, we must pause to consider the other voices that deserve consideration and a seat at the table.
As Canada’s government moves to protect our economy with the introduction of Bill C-5, many Senators, legal experts, Indigenous leaders, scientists, and conservation groups are raising concerns about its implications for ecosystems, species at risk, and Indigenous rights.
Bill C-5 officially titled “An Act to enact the Free Trade and Labour Mobility in Canada Act and the Building Canada Act,” received royal assent on June 26th, 2025.
It is now federal law.
Positioned as a tool for economic efficiency, Bill C-5 introduces new pathways to accelerate large-scale infrastructure projects such as pipelines, highways, ports, and transmission lines.
To bypass many of the existing review and critical oversight processes, a new “national interest” designation has been created. This new pathway allows designated projects a single “conditions document” that can replace permits usually required under federal environmental laws, such as:
Previously, projects that might impact vulnerable species required oversight, giving scientists, communities, and Indigenous Nations the opportunity to raise concerns and recommend mitigation before irreparable damage occurred. In some cases, this still wasn’t enough to protect valuable ecosystems.
We believe it’s critical to examine what bypassing environmental protection measures could mean for ecosystems and threatened species that are already under strain, including our iconic apex predators such as cougars, grizzly bears, and wolves.
Healthy ecosystems hold intrinsic value as essential to healthy human societies and economies. It’s easy to take for granted the many services provided to us by natural ecosystems such as crop pollination, water purification and climate regulation. Our leaders must recognize that the long-term stability of these life-giving ecosystems depends on the diversity of their species, something already in decline.
While the bill is intended to streamline development, without critical environmental oversight on projects that cut through some of Canada’s most ecologically sensitive areas, both wildlife and, indeed, our human economies, may face long-term consequences.
In Western Canada, grizzlies, cougars, and wolves already face mounting pressures from habitat fragmentation due to deforestation, mining, roads, and urban development. With the loss of connectivity between important wildlife corridors, essential needs like feeding, migration, breeding and genetic diversity are put at risk. Human-wildlife conflict increases as animals attempt to navigate their shrinking habitats, and human access to wild areas increases without coexistence measures in place.
Habitat loss is by far the greatest threat to biodiversity, and Bill C‑5 is likely to accelerate development in key wildlife habitats. Without the usual checks that currently help mitigate devastating consequences, we’ll be putting threatened and endangered populations under extreme, irreparable stress.
So, what does fast-tracked infrastructure, without existing environmental protection, mean for Canada’s apex predators?
Grizzlies are listed as a species of Special Concern federally, and several populations are threatened provincially. These bears need vast, connected territories to breed. Fragmented landscapes isolate populations and lead to increased mortality from vehicle or human conflict. Couple this with the grizzly hunting that still takes place in Alberta and Yukon, and the future looks bleak for this incredible species if we don’t act swiftly. Now is the time to review policy and implement federal protections for our iconic grizzly bears.
Wolves rely on expansive territories and intact prey networks. Development of infrastructure through wilderness corridors can disrupt pack structures, introduce barriers to movement, and increase vulnerability to culling or control measures when wolves are pushed closer to human communities and livestock. Protecting existing habitat through environmental law is a cost-effective, preventative alternative to spending millions on reactive culling due to rising human-wildlife conflict (Raincoast Conservation Foundation, 2022).
Cougars are highly sensitive to human disturbance. Roads and industrial development through cougar habitat can displace populations, increase human-cougar conflict, and elevate tension in rural communities. This pattern of diminishing habitat has already led to controversial measures such as cougar hunting in Alberta’s Cypress Hills Provincial Park. Legislation to protect cougar habitat is an effective route to preventing future incidents and endangering human and cougar lives (Alberta Wilderness Association, 2023).
The goal of any law must be the long-term health of Canada. Not just of its citizens, but of its wildlife and wild spaces too. Apex predators are a sign of a healthy ecosystem, and healthy ecosystems are pivotal to a healthy society and a flourishing economy. We believe infrastructure and conservation can, and must, coexist.
Now more than ever, we must integrate biodiversity protections into economic planning. That includes:
With Bill C-5 now law, we need public oversight and pressure more than ever. Our elected officials must hear that Canadians value ecosystems, Indigenous rights, and responsible development.
You can make a difference. Here's how:
At Exposed Wildlife Conservancy, we’ll continue our critical advocacy work for protections rooted in ecological science. Conservation matters, now more than ever.
