Colin MacLeod is a Calgary-based aviation consultant, and author of "The Case for Alberta's Independence."The announcement by Prime Minister Mark Carney to fast-track five "nation-building" projects under the new Major Projects Office (MPO) was met with considerable public and media fanfare. It was framed as a strategic and decisive step to revitalize the national economy and respond to global trade threats.However, a closer look at the chosen initiatives reveals that this grand unveiling is less a bold new vision and more a curated exhibition of projects that were already well into their respective development and approval cycles. The government's move, while presented as a new accomplishment, appears to be a sophisticated exercise in political positioning, aligning itself with mature, politically palatable projects while pointedly overlooking a key demand of the country's economic engine: the urgent need for new oil export capacity from Alberta. This strategic selection underscores a continued, ideologically-driven approach to energy policy, repackaged for a new political era..MILLS: From underdog to undone: The trouble with John Rustad’s leadership.The idea that these five projects represent a fresh start is a misleading one. A review of their histories shows that the government's role is not to initiate them but to "shepherd" them "across the finish line", acting as a political "closer" rather than a true project incubator.For example, the McIlvenna Bay mine in Saskatchewan is not a nascent proposal. The initial exploration at the site dates back to at least 2013, and by the time of the MPO announcement in September 2025, construction had already surpassed the 50% completion mark, with commercial production on schedule for mid-2026..The Darlington New Nuclear Project in Ontario has a multi-decade approval pipeline, with its initial application submitted in 2006. After years of regulatory review, the project secured a 10-year construction licence from the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission in April 2025 — months before the MPO was even launched.The Contrecœur Terminal Container Project in Quebec has an even longer history, with the Montreal Port Authority acquiring the land in the late 1980s and securing its key environmental approval in March 2021.Even the Red Chris Mine expansion was included on a British Columbia fast-track list in February 2025, a sign of its provincial and industrial maturity long before the federal government's intervention. .EDITORIAL: LGB breaking free from the rainbow alphabet soup.The LNG Canada Phase 2 expansion, while not yet under construction, is an expansion of a facility whose first phase became operational in June 2025, and is still waiting on private sector funding approval. This selective fast-tracking paints a clear picture of the government's priorities, which starkly diverge from the needs of Canada's traditional energy sector. While the government's announcement was made in Edmonton, a central hub of the oil and gas industry, the list of five projects conspicuously omits a major oil pipeline. .This is a particularly sensitive point in Alberta, where Premier Danielle Smith and industry leaders have consistently called for increased export capacity to diversify markets and reduce reliance on the United States. Yet this announcement ignores the urgent need for infrastructure to move that product to new markets. The absence of a new pipeline on the MPO's initial list confirms a consistent ideological position. Policies from previous Liberal governments, like Bill C-69 and a West Coast tanker ban, have been seen as having stifled investment, leading to a significant drop in capital spending in the sector over the last decade. While the Carney government has pledged to turn things around, the first list of projects suggests a continuation of this deliberate pivot away from traditional oil exports.The projects chosen are not arbitrary; they form a strategic portfolio that perfectly aligns with a "clean energy transition" narrative. The list includes small modular reactors, two copper and zinc mines, a liquefied natural gas expansion project, which the government frames as a way to provide "low-carbon intensity Canadian energy" to global markets to displace higher-carbon fuels like coal..THOMAS: Report shows blanket upzoning makes housing more expensive.This selection is a testament to an unwavering commitment to a specific energy future, one where oil is a less dominant force. The MPO, therefore, serves as a strategic tool to legitimize and accelerate a pre-selected vision for the country, leaving Alberta's primary export needs to be addressed only within the confines of a strict, decarbonization-focused policy.The true accomplishment, from the government's perspective, is not the launching of these projects, but the careful act of curating a portfolio that signals a clear ideological commitment to a clean energy future. By prioritizing projects that align with a specific narrative and pointedly excluding new oil export pipelines, the government is not just building infrastructure; it is building a new economic narrative.The MPO serves as a strategic tool to legitimize and accelerate a pre-selected vision, strategically ignoring the critical need for new export capacity in Alberta and leaving the province's economic future tied to existing infrastructure while the rest of the country’s projects are selectively fast-tracked.Colin MacLeod is a Calgary-based aviation consultant, and author of "The Case for Alberta's Independence.".Due to a high level of spam content being posted in our comment section below, all comments undergo manual approval by a staff member during regular business hours (Monday - Friday). Your patience is appreciated.
