Conservatives promise 'one-and-done' project approvals to cut wait times
Tory leader was in Terrace, B.C., on Monday while Liberal leader was in Victoria
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is promising a "one-and-done" approach to resource project approvals if he becomes prime minister.
Poilievre was in Terrace, B.C., on Monday, rolling out a plan to speed up approval processes for major resource projects.
He said in a media statement that his plan is to create a one-stop shop that would see one application and one environmental review for each project.
The Conservative plan would require Ottawa to work with the provinces to create a single office that would co-ordinate project approvals across all levels of government.
The party claims in a media release that the plan is about "ensuring efficiency without sacrificing environmental standards."
Poilievre positioned the promise as a way to make Canada less dependent on the United States market as U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff war continues to rock global financial markets.
"My 'one-and-done' rule will quickly and safely unleash Canada's natural resources by rapidly approving the projects Canadians need more of now: mines, roads, LNG terminals, hydro projects and nuclear power stations, so we can stand on our own two feet and stand up to the Americans," he said.
The Conservative plan would require that Ottawa work with the provinces to create a single office that would co-ordinate project approvals across all levels of government.
"My goal is to bring First Nations, municipalities and provinces all under the same tent," Poilievre said.
The Conservative proposal is similar to a deal Liberal Leader and Prime Minister Mark Carney struck with Canada's premiers in the days before the federal election began last month.
That agreement would see Ottawa recognize provincial and territorial assessments when weighing whether a proposal can move forward, adopting what Carney told reporters was a "one project, one review" model to streamline major projects.
Poilievre is also promising to rapidly approve 10 projects he said are stuck in limbo, including LNG Canada Phase II, a liquefied natural gas project in northern B.C.
The $40-billion LNG Canada facility got regulatory approval in 2015 and received a final investment decision from its key stakeholders in 2018. The export facility is expected to send its first shipments of liquefied natural gas in the coming months.
The Conservatives' project list also includes proposed roads, ports, new mining sites and expansions of existing mines in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario, Quebec and Newfoundland. The Conservatives said some of these projects have been under assessment by the federal government for years.
Poilievre said he plans to impose a one-year cap on wait times for approvals — the target would be six months — to give businesses the certainty they need to start work.
Non-profit says strategy misguided
Greenpeace Canada senior energy strategist Keith Stewart said Poilievre's promise to fast-track fossil fuel industry infrastructure projects is misguided.
He said that projects are taking years to develop because of their complicated nature and the multiple layers of community consultations that are required. He said the best way to speed things up is to pursue renewables that "have a lot less risk and harm involved."
"There's just so much less risk to water, to air quality, that they're actually a lot easier to get through because communities are more likely to be accepting of them," he said. "The reality is, markets outside of the U.S. are trying as hard as they can to move off of fossil fuels.
"So rather than trying to build projects to deliver the stuff that people wanted last century, we should be building projects that are producing and exporting the things that people want this century."
The LNG Canada website said in an update last fall that the project was awaiting a final investment decision from the consortium partners about moving ahead with a possible second phase.
Stewart said most of the delays in energy projects tend to come from the proponents, and it is "sort of a myth" that the federal government is the main impediment to faster approval of such projects.
In October 2018, then-prime minister Justin Trudeau announced $275 million in federal funding to support the LNG Canada project.
Carney also in B.C.
Liberal Leader Mark Carney was also in B.C. on Monday, where he met with Premier David Eby in Victoria and talked about a spike in U.S. duties on softwood lumber, which is another blow to the province's forestry industry.
At a news conference, Carney outlined a number of new conservation measures and promised to create at least 10 new national parks and marine conservation areas, as well as 15 new urban parks.
The Liberal leader also pledged to make national parks and historic sites available for free this summer — a move that comes as many Canadians scrub their plans to travel to the U.S.
The federal government has made national parks free before. In 2017, it did so for Canada's 150th anniversary — a move that proved popular and boosted admissions. The government continues to offer free park admission to kids aged 17 and under.
Such a move costs taxpayers since the government collects revenues from admission and still has to administer and maintain these sites.
Parks Canada oversees 171 historic sites, 37 national parks and 11 national park reserves that are managed like parks but are subject to Indigenous land claims.