Carney noncommittal on federal funding for Ford’s Hwy. 401 tunnel idea

Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks with reporters Thursday October 23, 2025.

Prime Minister Mark Carney made no commitments Thursday to supporting a proposed tunnel under Highway 401 to reduce gridlock in the Greater Toronto area (GTA) — a project Ontario Premier Doug Ford has touted as a nation-building project worthy of federal funding.

Standing beside Ford during an announcement about nuclear power investments Thursday, Carney was asked by CTV News Toronto whether he would support the project. He said discussions are currently underway with the provinces to consider many new projects that could receive the funding.

Carney said the federal government wants to support “big infrastructure projects” that meet several objectives.

“They unlock big economic benefits for Canada. Ideally, they connect different parts of the country in ways that create even further opportunities,” he said. “They’re aligned with our climate objectives, they have meaningful Indigenous participation.”

He said the federal government is currently discussing the next group of projects to be announced by mid-November, but added that they are “just getting started.”

“To be clear, these are major, major projects, but this is just the start of the ambition,” Carney said.

He gave no specific endorsement for the tunnel project.

Ford has proposed building a massive tunnel underneath Hwy. 401 that would traverse a large portion of the GTA in order to stimulate the economy in the face of tariffs and to protect against future gridlock.

He said last month that he believes Carney will include the tunnel as part of the nation building projects they are supporting federally in order to combat the effects of U.S. tariffs.