Carney and premiers meet to talk fast-tracking national interest projects

SASKATOON, Sask. — Prime Minister Mark Carney will meet with premiers in Saskatoon today to discuss efforts to knock down trade barriers and fast-track projects deemed as benefiting the national interest. Carney had asked the 13 provincial and territorial leaders to come up with major infrastructure and energy projects that could be fast-tracked for approvals under a new federal process. The premiers will spend part of Monday’s meeting receiving an overview of the proposed process set to be introduced through legislation by the end of June. Under the proposed bill, details of which were shared for consultation with First Nations groups, including the Assembly of First Nations, the federal Liberal government would establish a major projects office through which selected proposals would flow for approvals. The proposed legislation would allow projects to be deemed as carrying national significance to be exempt from certain steps of the existing approvals process. Carney has promised to shrink the timeframe for approvals of major infrastructure and energy projects to two years, down from five. But which projects could make the list is what the premiers are looking to hear from Carney and that will be the topic of discussion when the leaders meet behind closed doors. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has said an oil pipeline from Alberta to British Columbia’s coast “must be on the initial list.” Should it not be, it would not only send a bad signal to investors, but also “send an unwelcome signal to Albertans concerned about Ottawa’s commitment to national security,” she wrote in a letter to Carney on May 16, which her office released last Saturday. Separatist sentiments have been rising in both Alberta and Saskatchewan. For his part, Carney has said he wants Canada to become an “energy superpower.” As he meets with premiers, he faces calls from the CEOs of major Canadian energy companies, as well as Smith and Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe, to scrap policies critics say are hostile to pipeline development, such as the tanker ban off the coast of northern British Columbia and the Impact Assessment Act. A spokesman for Moe has confirmed that a pipeline carrying conventional energy was among the projects the premier, who is playing host to the first ministers’ meeting in Saskatoon, pitched to Ottawa. A government source familiar with the matter, speaking on the condition of background, said the federal government is not offering a “blank cheque” to premiers through the new approvals process, but that the federal government would consider providing financial support on a “case-by-case” basis. Other proposals include Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew’s push for federal support to make the Port of Churchill into a trade corridor and Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s pitch to mine the Ring of Fire for critical minerals and build a tunnel under Highway 401. Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston is also seeking support to grow his province’s offshore wind capacity, while Yukon Premier Ranj Pillai is looking to develop an electricity grid connection with British Columbia, with both jurisdictions recently signing a memorandum of understanding. “We’re looking forward to discussing the short-list with our colleagues across the country,” wrote Laura Seeley, a spokeswoman for Pillai, in an email. B.C. Premier David Eby told National Post in a statement that the efforts of the 13 premiers to boost the country’s economy and create jobs “must be expedited in the face of a global trade war.” Carney has made growing Canada’s economy through building new projects and removing trade barriers one of his top priorities as prime minister. In speaking to Carney last Friday, Eby said he told the prime minister his province has “several projects that are shovel-ready” and that his NDP government tabled legislation aimed at removing internal trade barriers. Improving interprovincial trade is one of the key focuses of Monday’s meeting between Carney and the premiers. Another topic likely to overshadow the meeting is U.S. President Donald Trump’s latest threat to increase tariffs on foreign steel and aluminum to 50 per cent on June 4, up from its current 25 per cent. Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc will be on hand, as will Internal Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland and Energy and Natural Resources Minister Tim Hodgson. Carney has promised to introduce legislation to reduce all federal trade barriers by Canada Day. Those measures are expected to be ushered in through the same bill establishing the fast-tracked approvals process. On the eve of Monday’s meeting, Ford signed a memorandum of understanding with Saskatchewan, Alberta and Prince Edward Island, where provinces committed to working to increase the mobility of workers, goods and services between their jurisdictions. Monday’s meeting between Carney and the premiers is the first to happen in person since the Liberals were elected to a fourth minority government on April 28. 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