SENATORS’ STATEMENTS — Projects of National Significance

Honourable senators, as we know, the federal government is working to build a more self-sustaining, diversified Canadian economy.

The One Canadian Economy Act is at the heart of those efforts. It seeks to stimulate national economic growth by removing barriers to interprovincial trade and by fast-tracking major projects that are in the national interest.

The Honourable Susan Holt, Premier of New Brunswick, came to Ottawa recently to promote several projects that the province believes should be reviewed by the Major Projects Office.

If these projects are approved, they would make a significant contribution to the Canadian economy. I would like to tell you a little more about them.

The first project is a Quebec-New Brunswick pipeline that would expand natural gas infrastructure from Quebec to Fredericton and Belledune in northern New Brunswick. This project would have multiple benefits, including stabilizing energy prices, ensuring supply reliability across Atlantic Canada and supporting industrial growth. It would also help transition away from heating oil and coal-fired generation.

By adding new pipe and building a liquefaction facility to connect Western Canadian gas suppliers with the LNG terminal in Saint John, Canada’s only LNG facility on the East Coast, the project would unlock Canada’s ability to export LNG directly to Europe, providing a secure alternative to Russian gas.

The second project is the Port Saint John corridor. This would be a comprehensive modernization of Atlantic Canada’s primary trade and energy gateway. The project would be made up of rail upgrades, port expansions and erosion protection.

The new infrastructure would eliminate bottlenecks, unlock export capacity and position Port Saint John as a world-class hub for containerized goods, energy products and clean fuels.

The third project also has to do with a port. The modernization of the Port of Belledune would increase the port’s capacity, strengthen energy security and make northern New Brunswick a clean fuel hub.

The plan includes modernizing fuel and chemical handling facilities, preparing hydrogen and methanol terminals, establishing new rail and road links, expanding freshwater and energy supply networks and, finally, dredging to accommodate Capesize vessels so that Belledune can process containerized goods, bulk products, oil and renewable fuels destined for world markets.

Last but not least, New Brunswick has 21 of the 34 minerals identified as critical to Canada’s economy. The Sisson mine, located north of Fredericton, is one of the largest undeveloped tungsten deposits in the world. With updated feasibility work now under way, the project is poised to become a major source of critical minerals that are essential to Canada’s economic security, defence sector and clean energy transition.

Honourable senators, reorienting our economy is a long-term undertaking. It will not happen overnight. That said, some projects, including those I just mentioned, are ready to move forward quickly right now. These projects would significantly strengthen our domestic capacity, not only in Atlantic Canada, but across the country.

Thank you. Meegwetch.