Second Tranche of Projects Referred to Canada’s Major Projects Office

On November 13, 2025, the Prime Minister of Canada announced the referral of a second tranche of projects to the Major Projects Office (MPO).

With the introduction of Bill C-5, An Act to enact the Free Trade and Labour Mobility in Canada Act and the Building Canada Act, marking a significant shift in Canada’s approach to the approval of major infrastructure projects, the MPO assists the Canadian government in determining which projects should be designated as a National Interest Project (NIP).

Under the Building Canada Act (BCA), which forms part of Bill C-5, once a project receives NIP status, its approval process is streamlined and the focus shifts from whether a project should proceed to identifying how to best mitigate the potential adverse effects of a project and maximize its social, economic and environmental benefits. This is a fundamental change from the current system, which often requires years of regulatory review and multiple layers of approval. The government’s stated goal is to reduce project approval timelines from five or more years to as little as two years for NIPs.

Newly Referred Projects

• North Coast Transmission Line (NCTL) – Northwest British Columbia: This major BC Hydro infrastructure project will be designed to expand clean electricity transmission capacity in the region by way of a twinned 500-kilovolt transmission line running from Prince George to Bob Quinn Lake, more than doubling the region’s transmission capacity.
• Ksi Lisims LNG – Pearse Island, British Columbia: This large-scale liquefied natural gas (LNG) export facility will become Canada’s second-largest LNG facility and be one of the lowest-emission LNG operations by relying on clean electricity from the North Coast Transmission Line. The referral includes the associated 800-kilometre Prince Rupert Gas Transmission pipeline project and a 95-km electrical transmission line to interconnect with the BC Hydro grid.
• Canada Nickel’s Crawford Project – Timmins, Ontario: Situated in the world’s second-largest nickel reserve, the Crawford Project will produce high-quality, low-carbon nickel essential for batteries and green steel.
• Nouveau Monde Graphite’s Matawinie Mine – Saint-Michel-des-Saints, Quebec: This open-pit graphite mine will supply high-purity graphite for electric vehicle batteries, energy storage and advanced applications, integrated with the planned Bécancour Battery Materials Plant for local processing using Quebec’s hydroelectricity.
• Northcliff Resources’ Sisson Mine – Sisson Brook, New Brunswick: This will be an open-pit tungsten and molybdenum mineral project, both identified as critical minerals for clean energy, aerospace and defence applications.
• Iqaluit Nukkiksautiit Hydro Project – Iqaluit, Nunavut:  This will be Nunavut’s first 100% Inuit-owned hydro energy project, which aims to reduce reliance on diesel power in Iqaluit.

Previously Referred Projects

• LNG Canada Phase 2, Kitimat, British Columbia: After the completion of Phase 1 this year, LNG Canada Phase 2 aims to double LNG Canada’s production of liquefied natural gas, making it the second-largest facility of its kind in the world.
• Darlington New Nuclear Project, Bowmanville, Ontario: The Darlington New Nuclear Project aims to make Canada the first G7 country to have an operational small modular reactor (SMR), with construction underway.
• Contrecœur Terminal Container Project, Contrecœur, Quebec: This project involves expansion of the Port of Montréal’s capacity by approximately 60% to alleviate congestion at existing terminals, improve supply chain resilience, and support growing trade demands for importers and exporters in Eastern Canada.
• McIlvenna Bay Foran Copper Mine Project, East-Central Saskatchewan: This is a net-zero copper project supplying critical minerals for clean energy technologies and advanced manufacturing.
• Red Chris Mine Expansion, Northwest British Columbia: This major expansion project aims to extend the lifespan of the mine by over a decade, increase Canada’s annual copper production by over 15% and is part of the proposed Northwest Critical Conservation Corridor.

(For background on the projects referred in the first tranche, see here)

All projects listed above are currently under review by the MPO. Under the BCA, these projects may receive NIP status from the federal cabinet if they meet certain criteria, including:

• The project’s contribution to Canada’s economic growth, autonomy, resilience and security
• Its alignment with clean growth and Canada’s climate objectives
• Advancing the interests of Indigenous Peoples
• The likelihood of successful execution

It is notable that many of the projects listed above have already been approved under federal regulatory approval processes.

This federal initiative has set the course for similar provincial streamlining programs. British Columbia has passed the Infrastructure Project Act, and Ontario is in the process of introducing Bill 60, the Fighting Delays, Building Faster Act, 2025. The Quebec government has also recently announced its intent to table new legislation modelled on the federal major projects law.

For more information, please contact the authors or any other member of our Infrastructure or Power groups.