At a recent Greater Vancouver Board of Trade event, Prime Minister Mark Carney delivered a message many in Canada’s resource and energy sectors have been waiting years to hear.
Carney spoke candidly about the need to eliminate duplication in Canada’s regulatory system and to establish clearer, more predictable timelines to move major projects forward faster. He acknowledged a reality that Indigenous partners, labour groups and investors alike have understood for some time: Canada cannot compete globally if it cannot build efficiently.
That recognition matters here in British Columbia.
B.C. is home to roughly one-third of the projects currently identified by the federal Major Projects Office as nationally significant initiatives. These projects represent billions in investment and thousands of jobs, as well as an opportunity to reinforce Canada’s role as an energy superpower during a moment of global instability.
The discussion paper released by the federal government earlier this month reflects a growing understanding that Canada’s system has been too slow, too repetitive, and too difficult for proponents to navigate. A move toward one-year federal decision timelines and a “one project, one decision” approach directly addresses the uncertainty and duplication issues that discourage investment.
Importantly, this conversation is not about lowering environmental standards or weakening Indigenous participation. In fact, the opposite is true. Effective processes should strengthen outcomes by creating greater clarity, earlier engagement and better coordination among governments, regulators, Indigenous Nations and project proponents.
At Woodfibre LNG, we have seen firsthand what responsible development can look like.
Our project is being developed in partnership with and under the environmental regulation of the Squamish Nation, and under some of the most rigorous environmental standards in the world.
We invested more than $50 million to remediate the former pulp mill site, transforming legacy brownfield industrial lands while building new export infrastructure that will support Canadian jobs, strengthen trade diversification and provide allies with the reliable energy they need.
This is not the old model of resource development in Canada. It is a new generation of projects shaped by Indigenous partnership, environmental accountability and technological innovation.
In many ways, Woodfibre LNG is a microcosm of the broader opportunity emerging across Canada right now.
From LNG and critical minerals to ports, transmission infrastructure and clean energy, Canada has an opening to build the projects that will define the future. But to realize that future, Canada must be able to move at the pace of global business.
The federal government’s proposed reforms are a welcome acknowledgement of that need.
Now the focus must turn to implementation — ensuring these ambitions translate into a modern regulatory system capable of supporting responsible development while maintaining public confidence and environmental integrity.
Canada has the natural resources, expertise, workforce and values to become a true global energy and economic leader. If we can match ambition with decisive action, Canada will responsibly build projects, attract investment and strengthen our economic competitiveness for generations to come.
