Prime Minister Mark Carney has launched the new Major Projects Office (MPO) headquarters in Calgary, with additional offices slated to open later across major Canadian cities.

Created under the new Building Canada Act passed in June, the MPO is designed to accelerate the approval and financing of nation-building projects through a one-stop shop. The major projects include ports, railways, energy corridors, clean energy initiatives and critical mineral developments. The office will streamline federal approvals, co-ordinate financing, and work with provinces and territories toward a one-project and one-review approach for environmental assessments, said the government.

“Canada has always been a nation of builders, from the St. Lawrence Seaway to Expo ’67,” said Carney. “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.”

Approval timelines for projects of national interest will be capped at two years.

Dawn Farrell, a veteran of Canada’s energy sector, has been appointed CEO of the MPO. Her mandate includes advancing major projects while upholding environmental standards and Indigenous rights. An Indigenous advisory council, to be announced next month, will guide the office’s work, ensuring consultation and equity opportunities for First Nations, Inuit, Métis and self-governing partners, said the federal government.

As a result of her appointment, Farrell resigned, effective immediately, from ATCO’s board.

The MPO will also help attract private and public capital, working with institutions such as the Canada Infrastructure Bank, the Canada Growth Fund and the Indigenous Loan Guarantee Program. Ottawa has expanded the latter to $10 billion and committed $40 million over two years to strengthen Indigenous capacity to participate in major projects.

The Assembly of First Nations and other Aboriginal groups have called for the government to include them in the fast-tracking process and to fund Indigenous infrastructure projects.

“The Major Projects Office represents a transformative shift in how we deliver vital infrastructure projects,” Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc. 

“Canada needs to build here at home at speeds not seen in generations. By working closely with provincial, territorial and Indigenous governments to streamline and simplify approval processes, the office will help diversify our trading relationships, strengthen our position as an energy superpower in both clean and conventional energy and promote Canada’s long-term economic prosperity.”

Ottawa said it will announce the first set of priority projects in the coming weeks.

Pictured: Infrastructure in the Vancouver region.

Photo: Statistics Canada