Impact Assessment Agency of Canada's 2026–2027 Departmental Plan: Regulatory and Permitting Efficiency for Clean Growth Projects

The Cabinet Directive on Regulatory and Permitting Efficiency for Clean Growth Projects focuses on the federal efforts needed to accelerate regulatory efficiency for clean growth projects. It is intended to help get clean growth projects built faster by accelerating decision-making related to these projects.

Section 1. Overview of Impact Assessment Agency of Canada’s Role in Supporting Regulatory and Permitting Efficiency

The Impact Assessment Agency of Canada (IAAC) operates in a constantly changing environment, where external factors, such as markets and the socio-economic climate, can affect the type, timing, volume, and location of projects requiring an impact assessment. Similarly, federal impact assessment requirements are part of a complex constitutional and regulatory context that includes shared responsibilities with other jurisdictions and requirements to uphold Indigenous rights, federal and provincial legislative and regulatory requirements, and requirements for procedurally fair decision-making.

IAAC is dedicated to finding efficiencies in its processes and works closely with other jurisdictions towards the goal of reducing duplication and achieving "one project, one review." IAAC invites provinces to collaborate even further on streamlining and coordinating assessments by entering into co-operation agreements with the federal government so project assessments can be substituted to the provincial assessment process. This way of reviewing projects in British Columbia has led most of the project assessments being conducted using a single process.

IAAC has been working to put in place co-operation agreements with all interested provinces. To date, three agreements are in place including the recently announced New Brunswick and Ontario agreements. Co-‍operation agreements set out how federal and provincial governments will work together on impact assessments of designated projects to provide greater transparency and clarity for proponents, Indigenous Peoples, and stakeholders while continuing to maintain shared and respective responsibilities. This will help to accelerate building major projects across Canada and signal to investors that Canada’s federal and provincial governments are committed to working together to enable development, while protecting Indigenous rights and the environment.

IAAC facilitates the responsible development of Canada’s most complex projects with significant adverse effects within areas of federal jurisdiction through an organized process and forum. This process helps to coordinate Crown consultation to meet the Duty to Consult, meet the federal government’s responsibility to mitigate adverse effects within federal jurisdiction, inform and coordinate federal permits, and gain social license to facilitate project development. To deliver timely and effective federal assessments, IAAC is:

• Streamlining the process, enhancing efficiency, and better coordinating with partners to obtain project decisions and permitting within two years;
• Focusing impact assessments on matters in areas of federal jurisdiction and leveraging provincial processes to accelerate timelines, reduce proponent requirements, and provide clarity to the federal process;
• Continuing to use regional and strategic assessments to develop an understanding of the potential effects of existing or future physical activities to enable future project-specific assessments to be focused on what is unique and to help identify mitigation measures in advance;
• Strengthening partnerships with Indigenous groups by prioritizing early and meaningful consultation and upholding the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples; and
• Coordinating federal permits required to start construction by providing:
  • Clarity on permitting requirements, timelines, and processes through the development of detailed permitting plans – agreements on permits and timelines between the proponent, IAAC and federal authorities; and
  • Transparency through public reporting on the progress related to permitting on the Canadian Impact Assessment Registry.

Section 2. Results for Thematic Areas of the Cabinet Directive

Theme 1: Strengthening service standards

Planned results:

To support the theme of strengthening service standards, IAAC will develop and implement a re-engineered impact assessment process to enhance the efficiency and coordination of the federal impact assessment regime, while ensuring proponents can complete the full assessment and regulatory review within a two-year timeframe or in accordance with project service standards agreed upon with proponents. In 2026-27, this includes:

• Working with proponents to ensure projects are adequately prepared and well-defined before entering the assessment process;
• Establishing project service standards with proponents to clearly define roles, responsibilities, and timelines, which, at the discretion of the proponent, may be longer than the two-year objective of the Government of Canada;
• Standardizing key mitigation measures, where appropriate, to improve efficiency for proponents; and
• Ensuring early coordination on permitting with proponents, federal authorities, and provinces, as applicable.

IAAC will contribute to the Departmental Result of efficient assessment processes, including "one project, one review." This will be achieved in 2026-27 by:

• Responding even more quickly to proponent applications, including by engaging early with proponents prior to the start of the Planning Phase to help them understand regulatory requirements, promote readiness, and navigate permitting throughout the project lifecycle;
• Engaging proactively with Indigenous communities and stakeholders throughout the impact assessment process to ensure meaningful participation and early resolution of issues; and
• Negotiating and implementing co-operation agreements with interested provinces, leveraging provincial mechanisms, relying on provincial assessment processes, and applying tailored, risk-based approaches to reduce duplication and enhance the efficiency of impact assessments.

In addition, to support transparency in the permitting process, the status of federal authorizations and permits required for construction against the targets set in detailed permitting plans will be made available through the permitting pages of the Canadian Impact Assessment Registry.

Theme 2: Providing timely guidance to proponents

Planned results:

In 2026-27, IAAC will ensure proponents are well equipped to undertake the impact assessment process by continuing to provide timely and effective guidance. To contribute to this result, IAAC continues to revise and develop supporting documents for proponents to enable an efficient and effective federal impact assessments process. This includes:

• Increasing IAAC’s level of engagement with proponents to guide them through the process;
• Improving transparency by explaining the rationale for identifying Indigenous groups for consultation; and
• Supporting proponents by:
  • Providing clear, risk-informed expectations for early Indigenous engagement and with potentially affected members of public;
  • Continuing to improve and simplify the Tailored Impact Statement Guidelines template to support the efficient issuing of these guidelines;
  • Providing clear guidance and tools to practitioners and proponents to support the timely and efficient development of key products, including the Initial Project Description and Impact Statement; and
  • Ensuring proponents understand the information requirements to support permitting during the impact assessment process.

Guidance documents will be provided to participants in the assessment process during direct collaboration opportunities. IAAC will also work with proponents and federal departments to develop and update detailed permitting plans for projects undergoing impact assessment that will provide clarity on federal permitting requirements, timelines, and processes.

Theme 3: Coordinating consultation with Indigenous Peoples

Planned results:

In 2026-27, IAAC will ensure Indigenous groups participate meaningfully in assessment processes. This includes continuing to implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Calls to Action by ensuring Indigenous perspectives, concerns, and knowledge inform assessments and decisions. As the interim Crown Consultation Coordinator for permitting, IAAC will continue to work with federal regulators to establish project-level working tables to improve coordination, create efficiencies, and reduce consultation fatigue for Indigenous groups.

IAAC will continue to strengthen collaborative and cooperative relationships with Indigenous Peoples and support their meaningful participation in assessment processes by:

• Focusing consultation efforts on identifying key issues and priorities, rather than on the review of lengthy technical documents;
• Ensuring Indigenous communities have meaningful, accessible, and well-timed opportunities to participate throughout the assessment process; and
• Promoting ongoing dialogue and partnership to integrate Indigenous Knowledge, perspectives, and interests into assessment outputs.

IAAC will also continue to negotiate project-specific and long-term agreements that set clear, mutually agreed-upon processes and expectations from outset. These agreements also help coordinate federal assessments with all Indigenous groups, including through alignment with the treaty-based processes of modern treaty partners.