Carney confirms major project announcements coming Thursday

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Prime Minister Mark Carney confirmed Wednesday that the first wave of major-project announcements will be made Thursday.

He’s touted the list of so-called nation-building projects as a cornerstone piece of the federal government’s plan to bolster and insulate Canada’s economy amid an ongoing trade war with the United States.

In a speech to the Liberal caucus in Edmonton, Carney said change is necessary to tackle the current crisis facing Canada.

“Change of this magnitude is never easy. It will take time and determination,” Carney said.

“It will demand a united response not seen in this country since the end of the Second World War.”

“It has never been more necessary for us to put aside our differences and focus on the things we can control,” he added in a speech listing his government’s priorities for immigration, climate and defence ahead of the House of Commons’ return next Monday.

In June, Parliament passed Bill C-5 — dubbed the Building Canada Act by the Liberals — aimed at giving government sweeping new powers to approve major projects of national interest.

Senior officials had signalled throughout the summer that some of those nation-building projects would be announced in early fall.

“Projects that will increase our independence, boost our economy, align with the interests of Indigenous peoples, and advance our climate goals,” Carney said Wednesday.

Amid an ongoing discussion about whether the list of projects will include a new pipeline — which Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has called for — Energy and Natural Resources Minister Tim Hodgson said Monday that no proponent has come forward with a proposal for one.

“The list is going to be an evergreening list,” Smith told reporters in Calgary Wednesday, when asked whether she is disappointed a new oil pipeline may not be one of the projects announced Thursday. “It’s not, ‘oh my gosh, this is it, nothing else can be added.’”

“And so, we’ve got a little bit of work to do to be able to get to an environment where oil companies want to expand their production,” she added.

Smith also said she is in “active discussions” with the prime minister, and that she’s “very encouraged.”

Carney is set to meet with Smith later Wednesday.

Carney also said the federal government will launch its Build Canada Homes organization — focused on building affordable housing — next week.

And, with his government non-committal on whether it’ll keep the 2030 and 2035 climate targets of its predecessor, Carney pointed to plans this fall to unveil a “climate competitiveness strategy.”

“Canada’s new government recognizes that addressing climate change isn’t just a moral duty we have to our kids and grandkids, it is an economic imperative for the competitiveness of businesses and the workers they employ,” he said.

Carney said the strategy will focus on “results over objectives and investments over prohibition.”

The federal government, meanwhile, is set to table a budget next month, one Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne has described as focusing on “austerity.”

“It will require tough choices in tough times for a better future,” Carney said in his speech.

With files from CTV News’ Abigail Bimman