CCLA Co-Leads Call to Withdraw Anti-Democratic Exemption Powers from Bill C-15

Ottawa – February 20, 2026

CCLA, Ecojustice and the Centre québécois du droit de l’environnement, along with more than a hundred prominent law and human rights experts, labour, sector leaders and civil society organizations, just released a letter warning Bill C-15’s proposed amendments to the Red Tape Reduction Act set Canada on a dangerous anti-democratic track.

Part 5, Division 5 of this bill introduces draconian powers that allow federal ministers to exempt any individual, company or government (including its own federal departments) from the application of any federal law or regulation.

As signatories note, no legislation is safe, except the Criminal Code. Not our labour standards. Not our health and safety regulations. Not laws that uphold Indigenous rights and sovereignty. Not environmental protection laws. And not even laws that protect our security and privacy.

Signatories highlight that these exemption powers do not streamline regulation — they dynamite the rule of law itself by creating a two-tier legislative system whereby laws debated and enacted by Parliament can be suspended for political convenience with little to no accountability or transparency. 

Signatories urge parliamentarians to stand up for the people they serve, the rule of law, and the constitutional order that can protect Canada’s democracy. 

Their call is clear: Remove Part 5, Division 5 from Bill C-15. 

You can read the letter here.