A coalition of business groups and Indigenous organizations are calling for an overhaul of federal regulations on new technology and infrastructure projects to speed up the process.

In an open letter titled “Canada’s future is unbuilt,” the 18-member coalition argued Canada’s process for reviewing and approving new projects is far too lengthy and is thus hurting the country’s chances of achieving its climate goals.

“Based on the regulatory process we have right now, we won’t be able to attract the capital that’s going to be necessary to make the investments so we can get the infrastructure in place,” Adam Legge, president of the Business Council of Alberta, told BNN Bloomberg Monday.

Legge said speeding up the regulatory process will need a shift in mindset from protecting against bad outcomes to making good things happen quickly. 

“There’s definitely an ability to gain some momentum across the public service,” he said.

In 2021, Canada passed the Canadian Net-Zero Emissions Accountability Act, which enshrined the country’s goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050. BNN Bloomberg has reached out Natural Resources Canada for comment on the letter.

“Canada’s existing regulatory review and permitting systems are not up to the challenge of meeting our climate targets,” the letter states. “They are time-consuming, unpredictable, and complex. They don’t always fully enable the necessary engagement and participation of Indigenous communities.”

Legge also argues Canada risks falling behind the U.S. without serious change.

“We need to make sure that regulatory is our competitive advantage,” he said. “We can’t afford necessarily as a country to compete with the U.S. at scale on their incentives, but if regulatory can be our competitive advantage, then we need to do that.”  

In its latest budget, the federal government promised to expedite project reviews, including a “concrete plan to improve the efficiency of the impact assessment and permitting processes for major projects,” by the end of the year.

“We are encouraged by the initial steps the federal government has committed to taking to improve Canada’s regulatory framework, streamline approval timelines, and create efficiencies within regulatory bodies,” the letter reads.

“We believe that Canada can create a world-class regulatory system that safeguards the Indigenous, health, safety, cultural, and environmental imperatives of responsible development.”

In a statement Monday, Keean Nembhard, spokesperson for Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson, said his department acknowledges that a smooth regulatory process is “key to unlocking the potential in Canada's critical mineral, EV, hydrogen, offshore wind, nuclear, and many other sectors.”  

“Canada’s robust permitting process is already ahead of many of its global peers with respect to environmental protection, Indigenous consultation, and timelines,” Keean Nembhard wrote in an email. “Make no mistake, Canada is attracting investments and getting projects built.”

Nembhard added the department is looking to partner with the provinces to accelerate the process on regional projects.

“They will enable us to collectively accelerate economic activity and to position Canada as a leader in areas where we have or can reasonably create comparative advantages, as well enhance our work with proponents to help them move their projects as quickly as possible and align our regulatory and permitting process to further expedite timelines,” he said.