By Don Newman

August 9, 2025 

The Carney government’s promise to speedily build infrastructure and other projects in the “national interest” per the provisions of the One Canadian Economy Act is running into the predictable opposition and potential delays.

The government’s fast-track infrastructure program combines the nationalist appeal of bolstering Canada’s economic and trade infrastructure — ports, transportation, pipelines, hydro, clean energy, critical minerals among others — at a time when our economy is under attack, with Carney’s unprecedented expertise as Prime Minister in the fields of private sector finance and foreign direct investment (FDI).

Having a former central banker for two G7 countries as prime minister means a different approach to running the economy, and this is an early example of that. The question of whether the approach can be squared with the concerns and values of Indigenous Peoples is slowly but surely being answered.

Three meetings with Indigenous groups this summer have garnered mixed results as the Prime Minister has tried to sell his “build, baby, build” program to First Nations, Inuit and Métis leaders.

Carney and his relevant ministers wound up their three separate consultation sessions on August 7th.  At the centre of the talks was the Act, which was hastily passed this spring to allow the Government to set aside many of the rules and regulations usually required for approvals of major projects.

Both industry and foreign investors have long complained that the  federal approvals process plus a web of provincial regulations have made major projects impossible to get built in Canada. In addition to other regulations, the approvals process has included sometimes lengthy environmental assessments as well as consultations with any Indigenous groups impacted.

In the recent election campaign, Carney and the Liberals ran on a promise to reduce approval time for projects in “the national interest” from five to two years. When Parliament returned for a new session in May, they introduced Bill C-5 to do that. It passed quickly with the support of the Conservatives, an unusual collaboration between the Government and the Official Opposition.

At the time, Indigenous groups complained they were not consulted as C-5 went through the House of Commons and the Senate at breakneck speed. Carney’s three meetings with the Indigenous groups were meant to compensate for that exclusion.

The results of the meetings might explain why the groups weren’t included in the process when the bill was before Parliament: they all had concerns. The Métis were the most co-operative, although internal division within the group might cause approval problems. The Inuit are intrigued that military and other developments might spur projects in the North, but they insisted any treaty rights they must be respected and consultations must be conducted with their leadership before any development gets to go-ahead.

The Assembly of First Nations was the most difficult meeting. Some members and the groups they represent are in favour of major infrastructure development and aim to acquire equity positions in projects. Others are outright opposed, even before consultations have taken place. And since their meeting some have come out publicly with their opposition.

Three meetings with Indigenous groups this summer have garnered mixed results as the Prime Minister has tried to sell his ‘build, baby, build’ program to First Nations, Inuit and Métis leaders.

Just a day after the final meeting with the Métis organizations, an Ontario First Nation went to court seeking both an interim and permanent injunction to prevent the federal and the Ontario governments from working to develop any mines or mining-related activities in the “Ring of Fire” area of Northern Ontario, south of Hudson’s Bay.

Ontario has passed legislation similar to C-5, giving the provincial government powers like those of the federal government to quickly approve and get projects built.

The legislation, known as Bill 5, was passed with the Ring of Fire in mind. The area of Northern Ontario is rich in “rare earth” minerals essential in military and civil technology, in everything from supersonic missiles to electric cars. Mining and developing is a major undertaking, requiring mines, roads and possibly a railroad to be built. Ontario Premier Doug Ford says the development of the Ring is imperative for not just his province but for all of Canada.

Indigenous leaders opposed to the Carney government’s One Canadian Economy Act fear the government will use it to bypass its constitutional “duty to consult” with bands on projects that affect their territories. The requirement is entrenched in section 35 of the 1982 Constitution Act and has been upheld by the Supreme Court in a series of rulings since then.

Some groups argue that it gives Indigenous Peoples a veto they don’t really want. The Supreme Court says it does not amount to an Indigenous veto, but has delayed projects where it has deemed the consultation insufficient, including the controversial extension of the Trans Mountain pipeline, which forced further consultation before the project was completed.

Against the backdrop of potential delays and tie-ups there is mounting pressure on the government to get projects built even more quickly than planned. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, campaigning in an Alberta by-election he will almost certainly win, has challenged the Liberals to approve and build projects even more quickly.

Poilievre says he want to see work started on two new oil pipelines to a coast in this country — he didn’t specify which of the three coasts this county has — work on a road to the Ring of Fire, and a new green field liquified natural gas (LNG) plant. And he wants it all started by March 14 of next year.

He also wants the government to cancel or repeal a number of laws and regulations that he says stymie industrial investment and development, including the West Coast ban on oil tanker traffic and the industrial carbon tax.

That is what the Conservatives will be pressing for when Parliament resumes in September. The Prime Minister has said the Major Projects Office — along with an Indigenous Advisory Council to monitor its work — will be in place at the beginning of next month and ready to accept proposed projects for fast-tracking.

However, no matter how fast the government and the Opposition want to go, Indigenous resistance will still be there. And so will the courts and the injunctions they can grant to delay the best-laid plans for projects. And if all of that fails, there are still protests, blockades and other forms of civil disobedience for protesters to fall back on.

The “build, baby, build” plan is a good one for Canada, which a majority of the population support. But not everyone does, including people directly affected by the projects. And that could be a problem.

Policy Columnist Don Newman is an Officer of the Order of Canada, and a lifetime member and a past president of the Canadian Parliamentary Press Gallery.