Carney’s Hidden Power Grab? The Bill They Didn’t Want You to Notice

Buried inside a 634-page budget implementation bill, the Carney government’s Bill C-15 contains a little-noticed provision that could allow federal ministers to grant exemptions from almost any non-criminal Canadian law.That means potential exemptions from:The Income Tax ActThe Canada Health ActEnvironmental regulationsLabour standardsFederal regulatory requirementsAnd those exemptions could be granted to individuals, corporations, or organizations, based largely on a minister’s opinion and what they consider to be in the “public interest.”The government says the new powers are designed to encourage innovation, competitiveness, and economic growth. Critics warn the changes could create unequal application of the law, reduced transparency, and expanded executive power.In this episode of Tap the Maple, we break down:What Bill C-15 actually doesWhy the exemption powers matterHow this fits into a broader trend of expanding ministerial authorityThe risks to accountability, fairness, and democratic oversightWhat this could mean for businesses, taxpayers, and ordinary CanadiansThis isn’t about politics, it’s about how power works in Canada.If major changes can be buried inside massive omnibus bills…Canadians deserve to know.