Tuesday September 2, 2025 | OTTAWA, ON [Reporting from VICTORIA, BC]
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
One of the key political promises made by the Liberals during the federal election campaign this spring was to build ‘Canada Strong’.
A significant component of that was choosing one or more major projects that would kick-start a new level of economic activity in this country.
Just ahead of the Labour Day long weekend, Prime Minister Mark Carney’s office released details of the Major Projects Office (MPO), including that it will be located in Calgary — far beyond the ‘Ottawa bubble’ where most federal government bureaucracy and political movement takes place.
- The Major Projects Office will collaborate with key partners to facilitate the development of major projects that are intended to benefit Canada. Partners will include project proponents, Indigenous Peoples, investors and all levels of government.
- The Major Projects Office will work to identify and advance nation-building projects through the Building Canada Act.
Building Canada Act:
The MPO was created as part of the One Canadian Economy’s Building Canada Act, which came into force on June 26, 2025.
“The Major Projects Office represents a transformative shift in how we deliver vital infrastructure projects. Canada needs to build here at home at speeds not seen in generations,” said Dominic LeBlanc, President of the King’s Privy Council for Canada and Minister responsible for Canada-U.S. Trade, Intergovernmental Affairs and One Canadian Economy, in a statement from the prime minister’s office.
Moving things along:
- The MPO is providing $40 million over two years to increase the capacity of Indigenous Peoples to engage early and consistently on major projects.
- The federal government has also expanded the Indigenous Loan Guarantee Program from $5 billion to $10 billion, to help create long-term economic opportunities and build lasting prosperity for Indigenous Peoples across Canada.
- A recent Statistics Canada study confirmed that regulatory requirements in Canada increased by 2.1% per year from 2006 to 2021 (37% total). This has lowered business sector investment growth by 9%.
Located in the west:
Canada is a geographically large country, so the placement of the new MPO in the west — with Calgary being arguably the economic capital of western Canada — is a strong gesture to western Canada by the Liberals that for decades have been seen as ignoring the west.
CEO knows the Energy sector landscape:
Carney has appointed Dawn Farrell to spearhead this mission as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the MPO. Ms Farrell brings four decades of experience in Canada’s energy sector.
Previously, she was President and CEO of both Trans Mountain Corporation where she oversaw its multibillion-dollar expansion project, and TransAlta Corporation where she led a major transition from coal to renewables.
Energy, critical minerals and defence:
Carney has said for months that energy, critical minerals and defence are the key ares for Canada’s new stronger domestic economy, including a significant eye to trade diversification to destinations other than the United States.
That loops in transportation infrastructure into the equation. Last week while in Europe, Carney revealed that ports will be enhanced or built anew in Montreal, Churchill, and Atlantic Canada.
“Canada has always been a nation of builders, from the St. Lawrence Seaway to Expo 67,” said Carney in his statement on Friday.
“At this hinge moment in our history, Canada must draw on this legacy and act decisively to transform our economy from reliance to resilience. We are moving at a speed not seen in generations to build ports, railways, energy grids – the major projects that will unlock Canada’s full economic potential and build Canada strong. I am thrilled that Dawn Farrell, one of Canada’s most experienced executives, is stepping up to help lead this vital priority,” said Carney.
Tomorrow and Wednesday, Carney will be hosting a national planning meeting in Toronto to review fall economic priorities with his cabinet of ministers and ministers of state. That will include discussions of infrastructure, housing, crime, and the upcoming CUSMA review process.
“The Major Projects Office represents a transformative shift in how we deliver vital infrastructure projects. Canada needs to build here at home at speeds not seen in generations,” said Dominic LeBlanc, President of the King’s Privy Council for Canada and Minister responsible for Canada-U.S. Trade, Intergovernmental Affairs and One Canadian Economy.
House of Commons fall sitting:
The Fall sitting of the 45th Parliament of Canada gets rolling on September 15.
Here is the full statement:
Prime Minister Carney launches new Major Projects Office to fast-track nation-building projects
August 29, 2025
In a rapidly shifting global landscape, we need to act decisively to build a stronger, more competitive, and prosperous economy. To those ends, the government tabled the Building Canada Act, which Parliament passed this June. This legislation enables the government to streamline federal approval processes to get major projects built faster. These projects – including ports, railways, energy corridors, critical mineral developments, and clean energy initiatives – will better connect our economy, diversify our industries, access new markets, and create high-paying careers, while protecting Canada’s rigorous environmental standards and upholding the rights of Indigenous Peoples.
Today, the Prime Minister, Mark Carney, launched the new Major Projects Office (MPO). The MPO is headquartered in Calgary and will have offices in other major Canadian cities. Its mandate is to serve as a single point of contact to get nation-building projects built faster. It will do so in two principal ways. First, by streamlining and accelerating regulatory approval processes. Second, by helping to structure and co-ordinate financing of these projects as needed.
The MPO will help to identify projects that are in Canada’s national interest and will help fast-track their development. The MPO will accelerate projects by creating a single set of conditions, thereby reducing the approval timeline for projects of national interest to a maximum of two years. To that end, it will work with provinces and territories to achieve a “one project, one review” approach for environmental assessments. Leveraging its expertise, the MPO will also help streamline approvals for all major projects across government, not just those designated under the Building Canada Act.
The MPO will also work to attract domestic and global capital to these major projects. The MPO will help structure and co-ordinate financing from the private sector, provincial and territorial partners, and government initiatives, including the Canada Infrastructure Bank, the Canada Growth Fund, and the Indigenous Loan Guarantee Program. In doing so, the MPO will deliver value for money for taxpayers, new jobs, and faster growth for Canadians.
The Prime Minister is pleased to announce the appointment of Dawn Farrell to spearhead this mission as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the MPO. Ms. Farrell brings four decades of experience in Canada’s energy sector, including as President, CEO, and Board Chair of Trans Mountain Corporation, President and CEO of TransAlta Corporation, and as a senior executive at BC Hydro. Her extensive executive experience, deep expertise in implementing large projects, and wide-ranging understanding of regulatory processes and industry relations will be invaluable to the effectiveness of the MPO.
The MPO will benefit from the expert advice of an Indigenous Advisory Council. The membership of the council will be confirmed next month and will be comprised of representatives from First Nations, Inuit, Métis, and Modern Treaty and Self-Governing partners. Over the summer, the Prime Minister convened meetings with First Nations, Inuit, and Métis rights holders to engage Indigenous leadership on their priorities and the opportunities for equity ownership and resource management of major projects. As legislated in the Building Canada Act, partnership and consultation with Indigenous Peoples is central to the work of the MPO and the government’s broader mission to build major infrastructure faster.
For too long, the construction of major infrastructure has been stalled by arduous, inefficient approval processes, leaving enormous investments on the table. Canada’s new government is moving with urgency and determination to change this process, so that Canada can build the infrastructure that will transform our economy to become the strongest in the G7.
The government will announce the first set of nation-building projects in the coming weeks.
===== RELATED:
- Small business & tourism minister of state Rechie Valdez met with Victoria Chamber members (August 30, 2025)
- New Canada-Germany partnership on critical minerals and energy (August 28, 2025)
- Canada drops tariffs on CUSMA-compliant goods to ‘clear away an issue’ with US (August 22, 2025)
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