Carney Fast-Tracks Seven Major Projects to Boost Canada’s Economy

Prime Minister Mark Carney on Thursday announced seven major national initiatives recommended for fast-tracked approval through the federal Major Projects Office (MPO). The new list includes large-scale energy, mining, and infrastructure proposals and represents the second group of projects referred to the MPO since its creation earlier this year. When combined with the five projects announced in September, the initiatives account for an estimated $116 billion in proposed economic activity.

Carney said the move is part of a broader strategy to strengthen Canada’s economic independence at a time when trade tensions and tariff pressures from the United States are increasing. He argued that Canada’s traditional reliance on the U.S. market is no longer sustainable and that new development corridors and resource projects are needed to protect the country’s long-term economic stability. According to Carney, “Many of Canada’s strengths—based on close trade ties with the U.S.—have become our vulnerabilities. With the world changing rapidly, Canada must change our economic strategy dramatically.”

The MPO, created earlier this summer, is tasked with fixing long-standing delays in Canada’s federal approvals system. Its mandate includes streamlining environmental assessments, coordinating Indigenous consultations, aligning labour supply needs, attracting essential investment and guiding project proponents through federal requirements. MPO president and CEO Dawn Farrell said the office’s goal is to eliminate bottlenecks by running multiple permitting processes concurrently rather than sequentially, reducing years-long delays that have historically slowed development.

The seven projects now referred to the MPO include the Sisson tungsten mine in New Brunswick; the Crawford Nickel Project in Timmins, Ontario, expected to process 240,000 tonnes of ore per day with emissions 90 per cent below the global industry average; the $30-billion Ksi Lisims LNG project in British Columbia, led by the Nisga’a Nation and designed to export 12 million tonnes of liquefied natural gas annually; and Nunavut’s first Inuit-owned hydroelectric development, aimed at replacing 15 million litres of imported diesel every year.

Also included are the $1.8-billion Nouveau Monde Graphite Phase 2 expansion in Quebec, supplying materials used in batteries and defence technologies; the Northwest Critical Conservation Corridor in British Columbia and Yukon, where the government intends to explore opportunities for mining and clean power transmission; and the North Coast Transmission Line, a major power route that will provide low-cost hydroelectricity to coastal communities and supply electricity to the Ksi Lisims LNG facility. The Canadian Infrastructure Bank will support the transmission line with a $139-million loan.

Environmental groups have criticized the decision to back LNG expansion, arguing that the Ksi Lisims project contributes to climate risks and lacks full regional Indigenous consensus. The proponents maintain that the facility will be cleaner than international competitors because it will operate primarily on hydropower and achieve net-zero emissions by 2030.

Political reactions were mixed. Ontario Premier Doug Ford welcomed the Crawford Nickel Project’s fast-tracking but urged Ottawa to eliminate regulatory duplication for other large-scale developments, including the Ring of Fire. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre criticized the creation of the MPO itself, calling it another layer of bureaucracy and arguing that Canada’s permitting system remains too slow and uncompetitive.

Although none of the projects have received national-interest designation under C-5 legislation—which would allow exemptions from certain environmental laws—industry leaders say that referral to the MPO alone signals a major shift toward faster federal approvals and a more coordinated approach to national resource development.