Three critical mineral extraction projects, a nickel mine in Ontario and a transmission line on the northern B.C. coast are among the new initiatives added to the growing list of projects referred to the Major Projects Office.
Prime Minister Mark Carney says the “transformational” projects announced Thursday in northern B.C. represent more than $56 billion in new investment and will support 68,000 jobs.
“Each of these projects that we are referring to the MPO today, in and of itself, is transformational, but the bigger point is that their impacts will be amplified by being part of bigger national strategies to boost Canada’s competitiveness,” Prime Minister Mark Carney said Thursday.
The projects include:
- North Coast Transmission Line (NCTL) in Northwestern British Columbia that will power new mines and export expansion.
- Ksi Lisims LNG on Pearse Island, B.C. aims to become Canada’s second-largest LNG facility
- Canada Nickel’s Crawford Project in Timmins, Ont. that will produce nickel for batteries and green steel.
- Nouveau Monde Graphite’s Matawinie Mine in Saint-Michel-des-Saints, Que. is an open-pit graphite mine that aims to provide inputs for battery supply chains and defence applications.
- Northcliff Resources’ Sisson Mine in Sisson Brook, N.B. will produce tungsten used in steel production, as well as the defence and industrial sectors
- Iqaluit Nukkiksautiit Hydro Project in Iqaluit, Nunavut seeks to become Nunavut’s first 100 per cent Inuit-owned hydro energy project, delivering cleaner energy to the city of Iqaluit.
In addition to those projects, Carney also referred the Northwest Critical Conservation Corridor in Northwest British Columbia and the Yukon to the MPO. The corridor sits atop a vast deposit of critical minerals and referring it, Carney said, will help strengthen Canada’s position as a global leader in clean energy and critical minerals while also getting new transmission lines, upgraded highways, and new fibre and cell towers built.
The corridor is part of the federal government’s so-called Critical Minerals Strategy.
“This Northwest Corridor has extraordinary potential for critical minerals development, clean power transmission, and Indigenous leadership,” he said. “It can unlock billions in investments, while creating a new conservation area the size of Greece.”
The prime minister has said these kinds of major projects are crucial to increase exports, create jobs and stimulate the tariff-hit economy.
“Today is not just about what we build, it is also about how we build,” Carney said. “We are building sustainably, in each case reducing emissions and investing in a clean energy future.”
The prime minister made the announcement from Terrace, B.C. where one end of the North Coast Transmission Line is set to be located. Ottawa says the transmission line will tie the Northwest Critical Conservation Corridor together to deliver low-cost, clean electricity and bolstered telecommunications to West Coast communities. To support the project, the Canada Infrastructure Bank announced today that it is loaning $139.5 million to B.C. Hydro.”
A growing list of projects
Thursday’s announcement comes roughly two months after the prime minister unveiled the first group projects.
Those five projects referred to the MPO include:
- The LNG Canada Phase 2, based in Kitimat, B.C.
- The Darlington New Nuclear Project in Bowmanville, Ont. that would make Canada the first G7 country to have an operational small modular reactor (SMR)
- The Contrecœur Terminal Container Project in Contrecœur, Que. that would expand the Port of Montreal’s capacity by approximately 60 per cent
- The McIlvenna Bay Foran Copper Mine Project in east-central Saskatchewan
- The Red Chris Mine expansion in northwest British Columbia
“The Major Projects Office is helping build Canada smarter and quicker; fast-tracking the infrastructure we need to unlock our country’s immense resources,” Carney said.
“This will build new communities, grow new businesses, and create tens of thousands of new careers in sustainable industries.”
What is the Major Projects Office?
The federal government says the Major Projects Office will streamline and fast-track the regulatory approval of major nation-building projects and help them pull in private sector investments. By creating a single set of conditions, the office is tasked with reducing the approval timeline for these projects to a maximum of two years.
Established under Bill C-5 — dubbed the Building Canada Act by the Liberals — the MPO gives the federal government sweeping new powers to approve these major projects. Carney said Thursday that Bill C-5 changed the government’s approach to building from “why” to “how.”
So far, none of the recommended projects have received that official designation. Asked how being on the list has helped the first group of projects, the prime minister said the referral helps projects take advantage of streamlined processes, and financing support.
“It moves these projects more quickly to the decision, whether they move forward or not,” he said, adding that the work has been “appreciated” by proponents.
Carney added that being on the list ultimately gives people greater confidence the projects will proceed.
“That in and of itself creates more activity,” he said.
The MPO was allocated $214 million in the 2025 Budget.
It is being led by the former CEO and chair of the board of directors of the Trans Mountain Corporation Dawn Farrell.
What about an Alberta pipeline?
The second tranche of projects does not include a bitumen pipeline from Alberta to B.C. North’s Coast, something Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has been pushing for.
Asked where negotiations stand with Alberta on the so-called grand bargain and whether a pipeline would be announced by this weekend’s Grey Cup, Carney said discussion are going well.
“I am personally encouraged by the progress that we are making,” he said. “There are a few more issues that we are ironing out and I am looking forward to that progress over the course of the coming weeks.”
Carney went on to say that this is an “important process” for the province and the country.
“We want to make sure we are doing it right,” he said.
Carney’s comments come about a week after he told a Bay Street audience not to worry because “we’re on the pipeline stuff.” Carney did not elaborate or offer any further details but did tell the Canadian Club of Toronto audience that “something’s going to happen, let’s put it that way.”
What are the politicians saying?
British Columbia Premier David Eby said he is pleased to see new B.C.-based projects are being prioritized by the federal government.
“It sends a signal to the federal bureaucracy that this is a priority,” he said.
Eby says he hopes today’s announcement results in more federal funding being diverted to these projects, saying he intends to make very explicit asks for financial support.
“No question there is going to be financial asks for these major projects,” he said.
“I will give the prime minister … 48 hours before the very strongly worded letters go out.”
Eby has repeatedly said he does not want a new Alberta bitumen pipeline built. Asked on Thursday whether he thought the prioritization of several B.C.-based initiatives was a way to “lessen the blow” if a pipeline is eventually referred to the MPO, Eby said it’s not happening.
“It is no surprise to me that there is no heavy oil pipeline on this list, because there is no list, there is no proponent, there is no project,” he said. “It is a figment of a communications person’s mind in Alberta, and it has no connection to real investment in our country or in our province.”
New Brunswick’s mining industry also got a boost today, with the inclusion of Northcliff Resources’ Sisson Mine in Sisson Brook on the MPO’s list. The proposed mine, which would extract the critical minerals tungsten and molybdenum, obtained federal environmental approvals in 2017.
New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt said things came together recently, but that the CEO had been talking to the head of the MPO for some time. In terms of financing, Holt said the province is looking for a price floor or an offtake agreement that would essentially guarantee a buyer of the mine’s products.
“Those two tools help both attract more investment and secure the value of the resource and that, those are critical pieces to this project,” she said, adding that the Department of National Defence recently made an investment in the mine.
Asked whether she expects any other New Brunswick projects to be added to the list, Holt said she has seen some pathways in Budget 2025 for priority projects.
“As the prime minister has said, this is a living list … so where we see things that have both benefits to the region, to the province and the country, we will continue to push those.”
In a statement, a spokesperson for Ontario Premier Doug Ford says they welcome Ottawa’s focus on the streamlining of approvals for the Crawford project.
The statement goes on to say that the province hopes Ottawa will work to remove federal duplications for all projects, and “welcomes” the federal government joining forces with the province to develop a national nuclear strategy.
Speaking in Kelowna, Conservative Party Pierre Poilievre leader criticized the Liberal government for being too slow to approve and build major energy and resource projects. The MPO, he said, represents another bureaucratic hurdle for companies to jump through.
“Instead of getting things done, Mark Carney was standing up doing photo ops, announcing he is going to approve a bunch of projects that were already going to happen,” Poilievre said.
Poilievre went on to say that Carney and the government need to step out of the way.
“Carney is not actually getting anything done, he is just showing up to take credit for things that were going to happen anyway,” he said.
