Prime Minister Mark Carney and the nation’s premiers emerged from their meeting Monday projecting unity on the need to fast-track “nation-building” energy infrastructure projects across the country — but not with a final list of what those projects might be.
That list will be finalized in the weeks ahead going into the summer, Carney told reporters after the sit-down in Saskatoon, after the federal government tables and passes legislation to speed up approvals to no more than two years under a new major project office.
And he said the list could very well include a new oil pipeline as part of a new western and Arctic energy corridor, though he stressed that all projects will need to meet specific criteria to prove they are in the national interest.
“There is a long list of projects that bring the country together, diversify our markets, make us more resilient, create good jobs and grow, have very good prospects of Indigenous partnerships and beyond,” he said, before listing several of the projects identified by the premiers at Monday’s meeting.
“Our first job is legislation to give ourselves the ability to make this a reality. But we will very quickly move into the summer to refine that list from the list we have. And as more private proponents become aware of the opportunity here, we’re going to see more projects coming forward.”
Despite Alberta Premier Danielle Smith tying the prospect of a new oil pipeline to the issue of national unity in her conversations with Ottawa, she joined her fellow premiers after the meeting in expressing confidence in Carney’s approach.
“I would say I’m encouraged by the immediate change of tone that we’ve seen in recent months,” she said.
“I think that, when we hear the prime minister talking about being an ‘energy superpower,’ we haven’t heard that kind of language for some time.”
Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe agreed that the meeting, as well as Carney’s approach to economic growth, was “very positive.”
Ontario Premier Doug Ford was even more enthusiastic.
“This has been the best meeting I’ve had in 10 years,” he said.
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“There was no expectation that the prime minister was going to come out and say, ‘You get that project, you get that project.’ It was a great discussion. We were all talking, now it’s time to put in action.”
He continued: “I described him today as Santa Claus. He’s coming and his sled was full of all sorts of stuff. Now he’s taking off back to the North Pole, he’s going to sort it out, and then he’s going to call us.”
Carney said other than pipelines and the western-Arctic corridor, he and the premiers discussed the eastern energy partnership and energy export ports on all three coasts, as well as critical minerals pathways, carbon capture and nuclear power among the projects being considered.
He said Indigenous consultation would be mandated for each project under the new fast-track legislation, which is set to be introduced in the coming days.
A final communique on the meeting released by the Prime Minister’s Office listed the following criteria for projects to be considered in the national interest:
- Strengthen Canada’s autonomy, resilience, and security.
- Offer undeniable benefits to Canada and support economic growth.
- Have a high likelihood of successful execution.
- Are a high priority for Indigenous leaders.
- Have clean growth potential, such as the use of clean technologies and sustainable practices.
The premiers and Carney also discussed boosting internal trade, securing a new economic and security relationship with the U.S. to get American tariffs on Canada removed, and working “urgently” to remove China’s tariffs on Canadian agricultural and seafood products.
Pipeline or no pipeline?
While Carney pointed out he wants to see a future pipeline carry decarbonized oil to tidewater and international market, Smith said she proposed raising revenue through the export of bitumen for the estimated $16-billion Pathways Alliance decarbonization project in northern Alberta.
“That seems like a pretty good value proposition if both of those projects can proceed at once,” she said, calling it a “grand bargain.”
Carney said he agreed with that potential approach, but added a pipeline was just one component of a broader approach to energy and trade corridors.
He also didn’t directly say if he would repeal existing regulatory laws that federal and provincial conservatives, including Smith, have said stand in the way of energy infrastructure and export.
“Sometimes the discussion is reduced far too much to one type of project,” he said. “It’s important, but the range of what we’re discussing is much, much bigger than that.”
However, Smith said she’s “encouraged” about the two-track approach Carney is proposing that would allow both federal and provincial approval processes to proceed simultaneously to speed up building.
“We’ll know in a couple of months time, hopefully, whether this new approach is going to work,” she said. “I think it’s worth giving it a try.”
Smith said the proof will be in whether a private company comes forward with a proposal to build one of the major projects Carney and premiers are pushing for.
“My view would be that we’ll have failed at the assignment if government has to build another pipeline,” she said. “That will demonstrate to us that we didn’t create the conditions for private investment to come to the table.”
Other premiers echoed Ford in thanking Carney for hearing everyone’s views on what should count as a “nation-building” project, and said unity had been achieved at the table.
“We’re not going to be in competition with each other, because we’re in support of every province here advancing their interests in a way that we’re all aware of, that we’re all supportive of,” New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt said.
Multiple members of the group noted the “generational opportunity” presented by the commitment to energy infrastructure.
Premiers from the northern territories also thanked Carney for elevating their concerns and treating them as equals.
“It’s been a long time at the table asking for a focus on Arctic security,” Yukon Premier Ranj Pillai said, who called it “refreshing” to have that taken seriously.
British Columbia Premier David Eby was the lone premier not at Monday’s meeting, as he was leading a provincial trade mission in Asia. Yet he has been non-committal about Smith’s proposal and pipelines in general.
Deputy Premier and Attorney General Niki Sharma represented B.C. at the meeting.
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