"OTTAWA - Canada's Supreme Court dealt a blow to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government on Friday by ruling that a federal law assessing how major projects such as coal mines and oil sands plants impact the environment is largely unconstitutional.
The decision is a victory for Alberta, Canada's main fossil fuel-producing province, which challenged the Impact Assessment Act (IAA), saying it gave Ottawa too much power to kill natural resource projects.
"This is a significant setback for the federal government," said David Wright, a law professor at the University of Calgary.
"The court has said the federal government can enact environmental assessment legislation but the way they went about it, for most of this law, goes too far.""
Nia Williams and Ismail Shakil report for Reuters October 13, 2023.
SEE ALSO: