Prime Minister Mark Carney referred only five projects to the new Major Projects Office for accelerated review, omitting oil pipelines and drawing criticism that the inaugural national interest list mostly rebrands work already underway rather than speeding anything new.
The government says the five represent “more than $60 billion” in prospective investment, with MPO’s mandate to compress approvals to a maximum of two years via a one project, one review model.
The MPO was launched August 29 under former CEO of Trans Mountain, Dawn Farrell, following the passage of the Building Canada Act (Bill C-5) in June 2025.
The first five
- LNG Canada Phase 2 (Kitimat, BC) — Government materials say doubling output would make the site the world’s second-largest LNG facility, with lifecycle emissions “35% below the world’s best” and “60% below the global average.” Ottawa frames it as diversifying trade and supporting Asian and European energy security.
- Darlington New Nuclear (Bowmanville, Ont.) — The first operational small modular reactor in the G7, according to the release, with an estimated $500 million annually flowing into Ontario’s nuclear supply chain. One of four planned SMR units is expected to power 300,000 homes, sustaining 3,700 jobs annually (18,000 during construction) over 65 years.
- Contrecœur Terminal (Port of Montréal, Que.) — Capacity lift of roughly 60% with “thousands of jobs” and about $140 million annually in economic benefits cited.
- McIlvenna Bay (Sask.) — Foran’s copper-zinc project, highlighted as the first net-zero copper mine in Canada, with around 400 jobs and downstream smelting in Quebec.
- Red Chris expansion (Northwest BC) — Ottawa says mine life extends more than 10 years, Canada’s annual copper output rises over 15%, and operational GHGs drop over 70% once the expansion is running, with Tahltan Nation collaboration and links to a proposed Northwest Critical Conservation Corridor.
The selection is thin relative to the 32-project internal candidate slate circulated earlier this month that spanned ports, transmission, mining, northern corridors—and even an Alberta-to-Pacific oil route. Today’s five equal roughly 16% of that candidate pool, and none are novel oil pipelines.
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Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said she “won’t be concerned” if no oil pipeline appears in the first cut but again pressed for repeal of the northern BC tanker ban and stronger oil-and-gas investment signals.
“Weak list”
Commentary from across the spectrum underscored the charge that Ottawa preserved the status quo. Policy analyst Sean Speer said the legislation “preserved the status quo and established a new, parallel regime,” producing a two-tier system where a handful of government-chosen files get a truncated process while “the rest remain stuck.” Journalist John Michael McGrath questioned the value of listing Darlington given it already had a federal EA and had started construction.
Critics acknowledged much here is already advanced. Opposition MP Dan Albas listed file histories:
- LNG Canada Phase 2: joint Canada–BC assessment authorized in June 2015; federal/provincial assessments completed in 2016.
- Darlington SMRs: CNSC construction licence secured in April 2025; Ontario approval secured in May 2025.
- McIlvenna Bay: construction more than 50% complete as of Aug 26, 2025.
- Red Chris expansion: pending Tahltan Nation approval, under provincial jurisdiction for expansion approvals.
- Contrecœur: federal EA approval in 2021; $150 million in federal and $130 million in Quebec funding announced in 2023.
Taken together, the records suggest MPO’s initial “fast-track” may mainly coordinate final permits and financing rather than compress a full federal review from scratch.
Carney said the government is “referring the first round of nation-building projects” and vowed to “think big, act fast, and build Canada strong.,” while Farrell called “one project, one review, one decision” a “defining” shift.
Ministers added that more projects are coming “in the coming weeks,” and flagged concept-stage files the MPO will now shape: a Critical Minerals push (including Ontario’s Ring of Fire), an Atlantic wind and transmission buildout (over 60 GW potential), Pathways Plus carbon-capture in Alberta, an Arctic economic and security corridor, a Port of Churchill upgrade with Indigenous equity, and Alto high-speed rail (over 1,000 km raile, target speed at 300 km/h, construction start goal in four years, with $35 billion GDP impact and 25 Mt emissions savings noted in materials).
Ottawa promised speed but its first proof-of-concept names five projects that, by and large, were already moving.
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