Let's Build Major Projects Faster

The Problem

In Canada today, getting a federal decision on a mine, a port, a pipeline, a transmission line, a nuclear facility, or a major transportation corridor routinely takes more than five years. Sometimes longer.

Five years of delay means projects die in the queue. Investment goes to the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom — countries that have already modernized their decision processes. Workers sit idle. Communities wait. And every year of delay is a year Canada remains more dependent on a United States that has stopped behaving like a reliable partner.

This is not about cutting corners. It is about not running the same process twice.

The Proposal

On May 8, 2026, the federal government opened a public engagement on six reforms to federal project review:

1.       One year for federal review and decision. Impact assessments and permit reviews run at the same time, not one after the other.

2.       One Crown consultation process. A single coordinated consultation hub instead of multiple overlapping ones — better for Indigenous Peoples, better for proponents.

3.       One project decision. A single federal decision document instead of permits trickling out over years.

4.       Single project authority. The Canada Energy Regulator handles pipelines and transmission lines. The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission handles nuclear and uranium. The experts decide.

5.       Federal economic zones. Pre-approved corridors and zones for transportation, energy, and industry, reducing repetitive project-by-project review.

6.       A streamlined regulatory environment. Narrower triggers, more flexible permits, faster Ministerial decisions where Cabinet involvement is not required.

Why It Matters Now

Canadian workers, businesses, and communities cannot afford another five-year wait. The tariff environment has made the cost of delay visible: every project we do not build at home is leverage we lack abroad.

A majority of Canadians already understand this. The question is whether the legislation that follows this engagement matches the scale of the moment.

That depends on whether enough of us show up.

How to Submit (90 seconds)

Option A — One click. Use the email form on this page. It has a ready-to-send email prepped and ready for launch. Just fill in your information, and hit send. Done.

Option B — Go deeper. Send your own submission to
engagement@pco-bcp.gc.ca
by June 7, 2026. Reference the Getting Major Projects Built in Canada discussion paper.

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