Carney to announce next tranche of major projects on Thursday

The federal government will unveil the next round of major projects that will get fast-tracked approvals later this week, Prime Minister Mark Carney said Monday, as Canada tries to stimulate economic activity amid the ongoing U.S. tariff fight.

Carney said the list will be unveiled in Prince Rupert, B.C., on Thursday. The Indigenous-proposed Ksi Lisims liquified natural gas (LNG) project near that city was approved by Ottawa in September and it has since received all the necessary permits to start construction.

The government gave the green light to five other projects that month for a streamlined approvals process — including another major LNG expansion in B.C., a small modular reactor project in Ontario, expanded port facilities in Montreal and new copper mines in the West — and Carney said Thursday's tranche of projects won't be the last.

He said the Major Projects Office's mandate will be a "living list" and new projects will be routinely added as Ottawa looks to turbocharge economic development by clearing away red tape and exempting select projects from some regulatory requirements.

"This is not a one and done," he said to a question about why some provinces haven't had a project make the list yet. "It is not one round of projects and then we move forward."

Carney's budget, unveiled last week, includes some $214 million over the next five years — plus about $10 million more for Indigenous consultation work — to fund the new office's approvals work.

The government's growth plan leans heavily on getting these mostly energy- and resources-related projects built quickly with an eye toward expanding Canada's markets beyond the increasingly protectionist U.S.

Carney said Canada is grappling with "a radically different U.S. trade policy than anything we have seen in our lifetimes" and the country has to act quickly to shore up the economy. 

"That's why we need to move fast. That's why this budget is the right budget," he said. "We control, we decide — it is our future."

In addition to the five projects that have already been given the green light, the budget said other projects that are serious contenders for fast-tracked approval include the Toronto-Quebec City high-speed rail project, Alto; expanded port facilities in Churchill, Man.; critical minerals development throughout the country; and an Alberta-based carbon capture and storage system called “pathways plus” to slash emissions in the oil sands, among other initiatives.

As for Alberta Premier Danielle Smith's demand that Carney approve a new oil pipeline to the Pacific Coast — something B.C. officials and some coastal Indigenous groups oppose strongly — the prime minister said something could come together on that soon.

During an address to the Canadian Club in Toronto late last week, Carney told the largely business-friendly audience not to worry because “we’re on the pipeline stuff,” without offering any details.

But then Carney stopped and said, “Well, something’s going to happen, let’s put it that way.”

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, who has endured a rocky week with two announced caucus departures, has been highly critical of Carney's budget and skeptical of his avowed commitment to build more faster.