The initial tranche of major projects the federal government will help get off the ground quickly include expanding liquefied natural gas production in B.C. and upgrading the port in Montreal, Prime Minister Mark Carney said Thursday.
As CBC News first revealed Wednesday evening, Carney unveiled a list of five "nation-building" projects Thursday morning. The list is being sent to the newly created Major Projects Office.
"We used to build big things in this country, and we used to build them quickly. It's time to get back at it, and get on with it," Carney said in announcing the projects in Edmonton on Thursday. "That starts with getting out of the way."
The prime minister said that major infrastructure projects in Canada have been stalled by a convoluted approval process rife with red tape — and the days of asking why a project should be built are gone.
"Canada's new government now starts by asking ourselves for major projects: How?" Carney said. "How can we build? How can we do it bigger? How can we do it faster?"
The list was initially printed in a draft news release and shared with CBC News Wednesday and then confirmed by Carney himself in Edmonton. The projects are:
Phase two of LNG Canada in Kitimat, B.C., doubling its production of liquefied natural gas. The Darlington New Nuclear Project in Clarington, Ont., which will make small modular reactors. Contrecœur Terminal Container Project to expand the Port of Montreal. The McIlvenna Bay Foran Copper Mine Project in Saskatchewan. The expansion of the Red Chris Mine in northwestern B.C."Combined, these five projects will generate more than $60 billion for the Canadian economy and create tens of thousands of high-paying careers for our workers," Carney said. "These five projects are just the beginning."
Carney also confirmed CBC News' exclusive Wednesday report that his government would name additional projects that are at an earlier stage of development and require further development, but could be part of the next wave for consideration:
Wind West Atlantic Energy, supporting wind power in Atlantic Canada. The Alberta-based Pathways Plus carbon capture project. An Arctic economic and security corridor. Upgrades to the Port of Churchill. All-weather road infrastructure in Northern Canada. The Alto high-speed rail corridor between Toronto and Quebec City.Speaking to his caucus in Edmonton, Carney said Wednesday the projects will "turbocharge" the economy, "diversify our products and build new markets and create those hundreds of thousands of high-paying careers for our workers, from the trades to technology."
The projects "will increase our independence, boost our economy, align with the interests of Indigenous Peoples and advance our climate goals," he told his Liberal MPs who are meeting ahead of the return of Parliament next week.
While an oil pipeline is not be in the first batch of projects, a Liberal source insisted the absence on the initial list does not mean that one will never happen.
The Maran Gas Roxana LNG carrier navigates its way through the Douglas Channel to Kitimat, B.C., on Wednesday, April 2, 2025. (LNG Canada)The prime minister has emphasized the importance of reaching a consensus with the provinces and aligning with the interests of Indigenous communities.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith told reporters in Calgary that she won't be concerned with an oil pipeline not being on the initial list.
WATCH | New major projects office to be based in Calgary: Prime Minister Mark Carney says his government's new Major Projects Office (MPO) will be headquartered in Calgary. Dawn Farrell, the chair of the board of directors of Trans Mountain Corporation, will be the CEO. The MPO will identify projects in Canada's national interest and help fast-track them. The CBC's Acton Clarkin has reaction from Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek."The list is going to be an evergreening list," Smith said.
"It's not, 'Oh my gosh, this is it, nothing else can be added.' And so we've got a little bit of work to do to be able to get to an environment where oil companies want to expand their production."
Smith said she's hopeful that "in short order, we'll be able to get this to the finish line together."
Radio-Canada also reported that Carney told Smith earlier this summer the involvement of a private developer was essential for a pipeline project to move forward.
So far, no company has expressed interest in financing or carrying out such a project.
During the spring sitting of Parliament the Liberals passed the One Canadian Economy Act, or Bill C-5, which essentially gave cabinet the ability to pick certain projects to speed through the regulatory process.
It's a key promise from Carney who campaigned on "build big, build bold" during the run-up to the spring election.
The Conservatives supported the bill as a whole, while the NDP and Bloc Québécois backed a part of the bill that removes internal trade barriers.
Some Indigenous and environmental groups, along with parliamentarians — even within the Liberal Party — had raised concerns about a lack of consultation over the bill and the sweeping powers it granted.
Carney announced Wednesday that 11 Indigenous leaders from across the country will form an advisory council to the Major Projects Office.
"They will help guide the [office's] work to ensure that major projects create opportunities for equity ownership and responsible resource management through meaningful participation with Indigenous Peoples," a news release from the Prime Minister's Office said.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre dismissed the list of projects on Carney's list as "pathetic."
"What he's done today is announce that he's going to send an email to an office that isn't even fully staffed up yet, which will one day, consider, possibly, approving five projects," Poilievre said.
Poilievre said that Carney should abandon his Major Projects Office, and instead back the Sovereignty Act — proposed legislation the Conservatives are promising to introduce in the fall.
The proposed legislation repackages many Conservative campaign promises, including a pledge to repeal Bill C-69, what former Alberta premier Jason Kenney dubbed the "no more pipelines act"; scrapping the West Coast oil-tanker ban; killing the industrial carbon tax; eliminating the electric vehicle mandate and reversing the single-use plastics ban.
"All these projects need to go ahead is the removal of Liberal anti-development laws and taxes that make them impossible to build," Poilievre said. "We don't need a new bureaucracy in Ottawa or a new dream list, we need the federal government to get out of the way."