OTTAWA — Prime Minister Mark Carney's government signalled Wednesday that it is working towards designating its first set of major infrastructure projects in the national interest by fall 2026, deploying yet-to-be-used powers to grant upfront approvals.
First Three Candidate Projects Named
The projects themselves are a proposed highway across the Northwest Territories that seeks to reduce travel time, a new road in Nunavut that would connect to a future port in hopes of enabling better shipping access and critical mineral development, plus a geological repository in northwestern Ontario that proposes trapping used nuclear fuel from reactors.
The announcement comes nearly one year to the day that Carney's Building Canada Act became law, which was one of the first pieces of legislation the prime minister advanced after winning the April 2025 election, with the other focused on eliminating federal barriers to internal trade.
Economic Growth Amid Tariff Uncertainty
Getting more major infrastructure projects built, from ports to pipelines, to bolster Canada's economic growth in the face of uncertainty stemming from U.S. tariffs has been a hallmark promise for Carney, as his Liberal government has sought to roll back existing energy and environmental regulations it sees as standing in the way.
At the same time, the Opposition Conservatives have criticized the federal government as still moving too slow while some First Nations leaders and many environmental groups have warned that fast-tracking project approvals risks running roughshod over environmental protections and the duty to consult First Nations.
The Carney government has consistently maintained that the Crown's obligations to consult with Indigenous rights-holders would be honoured throughout the process.
Streamlined Approval Process
Under the Building Canada Act, the federal government through cabinet has the power to designate a project as being in the “national interest,” which allows proponents to undergo a more streamlined process for approvals. Before a project can receive that designation, it is first sent to the Major Projects Office, a new federally established body, to undergo a review.
Government officials briefing reporters on a not-for-attribution basis said on Wednesday that the projects being considered for “national interest” designation would have to embark on a consultation process with Indigenous rights-holders, with the goal of a final listing decision being made sometime this fall.
The projects themselves first have to undergo a listing in the Canada Gazette, the federal government's official newspaper, outlining its specific proposals and details.
Following a project being given the “national interest” designation, a secondary process would follow where federal officials across varying departments would work to establish a set of binding conditions that a proponent would need to meet in order to be approved for construction.
