Prime Minister Mark Carney. – Photo by Lars Hagberg, courtesy the Prime Minister’s Office
The question of whether Canada is serious about building came up earlier this month, when we looked at the conflict between Ottawa’s statements and what one major energy CEO told a Calgary audience. Ottawa says now. Industry says the framework won’t allow it.
And it has come up again with shifting deadlines around our federal submission.
Here’s what happened —
Our submission went into a federal consultation on how Canada approves major projects: pipelines, transmission lines, ports, mines, and the kind of infrastructure that takes years to build and decades to pay back.
The federal government had asked Canadians and organizations like ours to weigh in by June 7, with the intent of using that input to draft new legislation that would speed up approvals. Right as we were filing, the government extended that deadline by more than six weeks, to July 22. It says it won’t table legislation on the changes until the fall.
That delay matters.
Under the original timeline, work on draft legislation could have begun by early summer, leaving plenty of time for it to be introduced early in the fall session and for proper passage. That window is now closed and any work on draft legislation won’t begin until late summer, meaning a compressed calendar to study, debate, and pass it.
This contradiction is hard to miss, and something we’re flagging because we know engaged women care. A government calling for projects to move faster has slowed the consultation meant to deliver that speed.
If pace at the front end is slipping, what does that mean for any major project Canada actually needs to build?
The consultation is now open until July 22. Anyone who wants to submit a perspective directly can do so by emailing engagement@pco-bcp.gc.ca. The discussion paper outlining the proposed reforms is on the government’s engagement page.