Ottawa Promises Project Decisions in a Year. Bill C-39 Spans More Than 300 Clauses.

The federal government says the purpose of Bill C-39 is to make project decisions within one year. Getting there takes a dizzying array of more than 300 clauses that amend more than a dozen separate pieces of federal legislation, CBC reports — among the laws in scope are those protecting species at risk, water quality and fisheries.

That is the tension worth tracking: a deadline is an administrative promise, but the text around it changes environmental law.