Prime Minister Mark Carney is expected to announce several new mining and energy projects Thursday, but none include a new pipeline, despite growing calls from industry for expanded energy transport capacity.According to two sources who spoke to The Globe and Mail, the federal government plans to add at least four developments to its major projects list on Thursday: the Ksi Lisims liquefied natural gas (LNG) project in British Columbia, Ontario’s Crawford nickel project, New Brunswick’s Sisson mine, and a hydroelectric project near Iqaluit. The list could still change before the announcement in Prince Rupert..Carney’s Major Projects Office, created earlier this year through Bill C-5, was designed to fast-track developments deemed to be in the national interest. While the office is promoting large-scale industrial projects, Ottawa has not indicated any willingness to approve or support a new oil or gas pipeline, even as resource-sector leaders warn that Canada’s energy exports remain bottlenecked.The absence of a new pipeline stands in contrast to the federal government’s focus on liquefied natural gas, critical minerals, and renewable energy. .Critics within the energy industry say that without additional pipeline infrastructure, Canada’s ability to capitalize on global demand for its resources remains limited.The Ksi Lisims LNG development, backed by the Nisga’a Nation, would build a $10-billion floating export terminal on British Columbia’s north coast, supplied by natural gas from northeast B.C. via the proposed Prince Rupert Gas Transmission line. However, the PRGT pipeline, first proposed in 2013, is not currently part of the federal fast-track program.That leaves the LNG project dependent on existing infrastructure and legal clearances, even as it faces two separate court challenges from the Lax Kw’alaams Band and the Metlakatla First Nation..In New Brunswick, the Sisson mine would develop tungsten and molybdenum resources northwest of Fredericton. The federal government announced $8.2 million in funding this summer to update its feasibility study, with partial backing from the U.S. Department of Defense.Ontario’s Crawford nickel-cobalt project near Timmins, developed by Canada Nickel, contains one of the world’s largest nickel deposits. The mine is expected to supply materials for Canada’s electric-vehicle battery industry..In Nunavut, the Iqaluit Nukkiksautiit hydroelectric project would provide between 15 and 30 megawatts of renewable power north of the capital. It is led by Nunavut Nukkiksautiit Corp., an Inuit-owned company that received $6 million in federal funding earlier this year.Carney’s government has framed the Major Projects Office as a way to accelerate resource and infrastructure development and reduce Canada’s economic reliance on the United States. However, the continued absence of any new oil or gas pipelines highlights the political and regulatory caution that still defines Ottawa’s approach to energy development.While the Carney government appears eager to advance major projects tied to critical minerals and clean energy, many in the resource sector remain skeptical that Canada can attract the necessary private investment without addressing its long-standing pipeline constraints.
