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Prime Minister Mark Carney is set to announce a second set of “nation-building projects,” including at least three focused on critical mineral extraction, one for exporting liquefied natural gas (LNG) and at least one transmission project, sources told CBC News.
They said there will be a total of at least six projects, including:
Of the remaining two, at least one will be a transmission project, the sources said. CBC News is not naming them because they are not authorized to speak freely about internal government decisions.
The list has not been officially announced and can still be changed until then.
Identifying major projects has been a key tenet in the federal government’s push to reshape the Canadian economy amid trade and productivity concerns.
The federal government announced the first tranche in September. Being on the list is meant to help spur private investment and clear red tape for projects facing regulatory hurdles.
Carney said Monday he will make this week’s announcement in Prince Rupert, B.C., prompting speculation that the Indigenous-proposed Ksi Lisims natural gas liquefaction facility and marine terminal project would be on the list — speculation that sources confirmed.
The planned capacity is up to 12 million tonnes of LNG per year, representing a major economic and employment opportunity. Ottawa gave the project the green light to move on to the next stage of seeking approvals and permits in September.
The Nisga’a Nation is listed as one of three principal proponents, alongside Rockies LNG Partners and Western LNG.
Critical minerals, electrification key to strategy
Three of the new projects — the Sisson Mine in New Brunswick, the Nouveau Monde Graphite mine and Crawford Nickel in Ontario — focus on critical minerals.
Sources say Natural Resources Minister Tim Hodgson is set to announce the Crawford project in Timmins, Ont., on Thursday.
The proposed mine is currently in the permitting stage, having passed the feasibility step in 2023, and is planned as an open-pit mine. An economic impact study found it has the capacity to create about 1,000 direct and 3,000 indirect jobs.
The Sisson tungsten mine, north of Fredericton, is also expected to be on the list. If it goes ahead, it would extract an average of 30,000 tonnes per day of tungsten and molybdenum-containing ore for on-site processing.
New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt told CBC’s Power & Politics on Monday that she was pleased a project from her province had made the list.
WATCH | Holt talks about her province being on the next list:
New Brunswick will be on the next list of major projects announced Thursday: Holt
Prime Minister Mark Carney says the next list of major projects will be announced on Thursday. New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt tells Power & Politics you can expect to see her province on that list.
It “is great news for New Brunswick and we have pathways on other projects that we’re encouraged by,” she told host David Cochrane.
The recent federal budget includes a new “critical minerals sovereign fund,” committing $2 billion over five years for strategic investments.
And finally, an Inuit-owned clean energy project in Iqaluit is expected to be included on the list. The federal government announced $6 million in funding to the Nunavut Nukkiksautiit Corporation earlier this year, for its Iqaluit Nukkiksautiit hydro project.
Once built, it would be a 15- to 30-megawatt traditional water power plant. It could help the city reduce its reliance on diesel-generated power.
Carney has said the Major Projects Office’s mandate will be a “living list” and new entries will be routinely added.
“This is not a one and done,” he said in New Brunswick on Monday. “It is not one round of projects and then we move forward.”
