Proposed legislation in British Columbia to give the cabinet sweeping powers to respond to threats from foreign governments amid Canada’s tariff fight is getting more pushback from businesses as the Greens meet with the government about their concerns.
BC Chamber of Commerce President Fiona Famulak says in a letter to Premier David Eby and Attorney General Niki Sharma that the legislation known as Bill 7 lacks “guardrails” and allows the government to make nearly any change it wants to provincial laws “with the stroke of a pen.”
Famulak says in the letter released Wednesday that the bill is a “step in the wrong direction for democratic institutions” and without accountability to the legislature when changes are made, the government is unacceptably requiring British Columbians to “move forward on faith and trust alone.”
Bill 7 would give the cabinet powers to respond to challenges from the actions of a foreign jurisdiction, or for a purpose “supporting the economy of British Columbia and Canada” without requiring debate in the legislature, something Eby says is required to respond swiftly to threats from U.S. President Donald Trump.
The bill is expected to be debated for the first time when politicians return to Victoria next week and is the first major test for Eby’s government, which holds a majority of only one seat.
The BC Green Party, which signed a confidence agreement with Eby’s New Democrats, says its representatives continue to meet with the government this week over Bill 7.
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Interim Green Leader Jeremy Valeriote said in a statement last week that Bill 7 in its current form has “vague wording” and “could allow for sweeping economic decisions without clear limits or transparency.”
