Edmonton, Sept. 11, 2025
Prime Minister Mark Carney announced on Thursday that his government will refer five large energy, port and mining projects to the newly created Major Projects Office, a move meant to shorten federal approvals, marshal financing and speed construction on works Ottawa describes as critical to Canada’s economic resilience. The government estimates the projects represent more than C$60 billion in potential investment and will support thousands of jobs across the country.
“At this moment of transformative change, Canada’s new government is focused on delivering major projects to connect our communities, empower Canadian workers, and build Canada’s strength. With the first in a series of new projects, we will build big, build now, and build Canada strong,” Carney said in prepared remarks.
The five projects cover a wide geographic and industrial range. Ottawa referred the planned second phase of the LNG Canada export terminal in Kitimat, British Columbia, which proponents say would double the facility’s output and supply Asian and European markets while producing lower lifecycle emissions than many international competitors. In Ontario, the Darlington New Nuclear Project would deploy small modular reactor units capable of powering about 300,000 homes and sustaining long-term manufacturing and supply-chain work. A container terminal expansion at Contrecœur, outside Montréal, is designed to increase eastern Canada’s handling capacity by 60 percent. In Saskatchewan, the McIlvenna Bay copper and zinc project is being developed with the Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation and is billed as Canada’s first net-zero copper operation. Finally, the Red Chris mine expansion in northwest British Columbia would extend the mine’s life and raise copper output, with the Tahltan Nation named as a partner.
Carney framed the announcement as both economic strategy and a fix for a regulatory system that can take years to clear major federal, provincial and Indigenous reviews. The Major Projects Office, created under the Building Canada Act, is tasked with applying a “one project, one review” model and reducing approval timelines for projects of national interest to a maximum of two years.
Dawn Farrell, the office’s chief executive officer, said the new approach will change how Canada attracts and handles investment. “This is a defining moment for Canada. To get to ‘one project, one review, one decision’ will set Canada apart globally and will attract enormous inflows of capital,” she said. Dominic LeBlanc, the minister responsible for intergovernmental affairs, argued the government intends to move quickly while preserving long-term benefits and Indigenous partnership. “We’re delivering quickly and effectively on projects that have long-term benefits for all Canadians, and building major infrastructure that will connect and transform our nation’s economy,” he said.
The announcement has drawn a mix of praise and skepticism. Supporters say the office will make Canada more competitive by giving investors greater certainty. Environmental groups warned that faster timelines could undermine safeguards, particularly for fossil-fuel projects, and questioned whether emissions claims would stand up in practice. Several Indigenous leaders and legal experts stressed that consultation does not equal consent, warning that accelerated timelines must not short-circuit constitutional duties to consult and accommodate. The Building Canada Act, which created the MPO, has already been the subject of protests and legal challenges.
Ottawa argues that the five projects chosen have already cleared many regulatory hurdles and that the MPO’s immediate task will be to close final permitting gaps, coordinate with provinces and Indigenous governments, and shore up financing so companies can reach investment decisions. The government has paired the announcement with measures to strengthen Indigenous participation, including a $40 million fund for capacity building and a doubling of the Indigenous Loan Guarantee Program from $5 billion to $10 billion.
Independent analysts caution that compressing review timelines addresses only one part of the challenge. Labour shortages, supply chain disruptions and financing remain significant hurdles, and past Canadian megaprojects show that faster regulatory calendars do not always lead to on-time delivery.
For Carney’s government, the initiative is meant to show that Canada can still build large-scale projects at speed. Whether the MPO delivers on that promise will depend on how it balances speed with scrutiny, and how communities, provinces and Indigenous governments respond. The five projects announced this week are only the beginning, with officials signalling additional nominations are expected in the coming months.
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