Canada: Government Contracts, Procurement & PPP

Canada's Indigenous procurement framework requires more than nominal ownership. Recent scrutiny reveals that businesses must demonstrate meaningful Indigenous control, participation, and economic benefit, while federal buyers face pressure to ensure opportunities translate into real Indigenous economic outcomes. The rules operate at multiple levels, creating a substantive compliance exercise that extends well beyond the familiar "51% Indigenous-owned" threshold.

Canada's federal government has introduced sweeping regulatory reforms aimed at accelerating major project approvals through compressed timelines and streamlined coordination. The Building Canada's Success Act establishes a one-year federal review period for designated projects while creating new mechanisms for regional preapprovals and consolidated decision-making. These changes fundamentally reshape how infrastructure and resource projects navigate federal environmental assessments and permitting processe

Bill C-39 proposes to consolidate federal project review and permitting into a single coordinated process with a one-year decision timeline, fundamentally restructuring how major infrastructure and resource projects are assessed and approved in Canada. The legislation aims to address longstanding concerns about regulatory duplication and multi-year approval timelines while maintaining environmental safeguards and Indigenous consultation requirements.