QUESTION PERIOD — Privy Council Office
Major Projects Office
December 4, 2025
Senator Moreau, in considering the Building Canada Act, does the designation “projects of national interest” apply only to the specific project or does it also apply to infrastructure which supports getting resources from the project to market? For example, does increasing supply chain connectivity for a mine via service or rail corridors to ports constitute such a project?
My understanding is that the Major Projects Office conducts a review of the major project that has been done and determines whether it is creating more jobs and positive effects on the economy. Those are the major criteria looked at in order to classify a project as a national major project. That’s my understanding.
In consideration of the Building Canada Act, how does the Major Projects Office advance executable projects in the national interest through streamlined federal review processes of national interest, if “national interest” is not defined?
“National interest” is a very broad concept. I don’t think it would be a good idea to have a specific description because projects that are under evaluation could then be excluded because of an overly narrow definition of the term “national interest.” I think it is a good thing to see it as a broader concept.
