Transformative strategies referred to the MPO

Canada’s first high-speed railway, spanning approximately 1,000 km from Toronto to Québec City and reaching speeds of up to 300 km/hour to cut travel times in half and connect close to half of Canada's population. Joining major centres through Canada’s most densely populated areas, this initiative will yield benefits for key government priorities, including:

• Housing: contributing to the housing supply along the route, with a target of 63,000 units.
• Environment: providing a sustainable means of travel, with a target of 25 million tonnes of CO2 emissions savings.
• Job creation: delivering well-paying jobs with a target of 51,000 new jobs over 10 years.

Canada is the only country in the G7 that does not have high-speed rail – to address our looming transportation crisis, Canada has chosen this bold and ambitious solution. The MPO will work to accelerate engineering, regulatory, and permitting work to enable and target the start of project construction in five years.

Latest updates

In Budget 2025, the government proposes to introduce legislation to accelerate the development of Alto high-speed rail.

Canada can be a powerhouse in the extraction and upgrading of critical minerals for industries that can emerge in Canada and to diversify and serve export markets. A priority for the Major Projects Office will be to get more critical minerals projects get to final investment decisions, with a focus on sustainability and regulatory certainty. This will enable critical mineral proponents working with Indigenous and local communities, investors, and provinces and territories to develop projects in regions like the Fosse du Labrador in QC and NL, the Northwest Critical Mineral and Conservation Corridor in BC, and the Ring of Fire in Ontario. The strategy will lead to the construction of ports and roads and focus on the first and last mile. Canada through its leadership at the G7 is also connecting with global partners to develop a Critical Mineral Alliance to match secure supply from projects with global partners who have industry demand. This work seizes opportunities to build new critical mineral value chains for clean technologies and defence applications for example:  developing “mines to magnets” using our rare earth resources and building processing and manufacturing abilities; and refining and processing minerals needed for clean energy and electricity battery storage, as well as electric vehicles.

Latest updates

The three projects referred to MPO on November 13, 2025, follow the recent announcement, on the margins of the G7 Energy and Environment Ministerial, of 26 new investments, partnerships and measures to accelerate $6.4 billion in critical minerals projects.

Collectively, these build on the Government of Canada’s efforts through Canada’s Critical Minerals Strategy, led by Natural Resources Canada, to strengthen critical minerals supply chains essential to the defence and economic security of Canada and its allies.

Budget 2025 further accelerated these efforts by introducing a First and Last Mile Fund, and investments through the Defence Industrial Strategy, as well as enhancements to tax measures to support the Canadian critical minerals sector.

Current announced projects referred to MPO linked to this strategy: Red Chris Mine Expansion, North Coast Transmission Line, Ksi Lisims LNG

Canada’s northwestern coast is home to the Golden Triangle - one of the world’s richest reserves of the minerals and metals that are essential for the energy transition as well as defence supply chains for Canada and our allies. It is also one of Canada’s gateways to global markets through the Pacific Ocean, and home to vibrant communities in a spectacular environment rich with mountains, glaciers, watersheds and coastal ecosystems.

The Northwest Critical Conservation Corridor: Northwest British Columbia and the Yukon also includes a number of major projects including enabling infrastructure like the North Coast Transmission Line, and resource development like Ksi Lisims LNG (also referred to the MPO). Working with stakeholders and Rights‑holders towards our shared goals is an important part of this approach unlocking Canada’s economic potential, for the benefit of Canadians.

To finalise investment decisions on all key pieces of infrastructure and conservation areas that support the accelerated development of the Golden Triangle area, this initiative has been referred to the Major Projects Office to set up a coordinated plan for the region. Under the banner of “The Northwest Critical Conservation Corridor: Northwest British Columbia and the Yukon”, the investments needed will be evaluated and accelerated to ensure the potential of the region is achieved. 

Once realized, this Corridor will enhance Canada’s climate competitiveness, fundamentally transform the lives of thousands of Canadians, position Canada as a global leader in critical minerals, and drive prosperity across the country.

The Pathways Plus transformative strategy combines a series of emissions reductions projects put forward by the Oil Sands Alliance. The Oil Sands Alliance represents some of Canada’s largest oil producers, with a shared commitment to work towards a west coast oil pipeline and related sector growth, and additional strategic ambitions. The strategy aims to reduce emissions from heavy oil production, with the objective of achieving best-in-class emissions intensity for Canadian heavy oil by 2050 (based on global averages), while also unlocking the growth potential of the sector.

Pathways Plus aims to reduce upstream emissions from the conventional energy sector while catalyzing private investment in new energy infrastructure. In doing so, this strategy seeks to strengthen Canada’s energy sector, support economic growth and accelerate emissions reductions.

The Pathways Project

One part of the Pathways Plus transformative strategy is the Pathways Project, which will reduce the emissions intensity of Canada’s oil sands, support the transition to lower-carbon oil, expand Canada’s ability to deliver energy to global markets, and strengthen economic independence by sustaining and creating well-paying jobs. The MPO is working together with the Government of Alberta and the Oil Sands Alliance to advance this project as part of its work on the overarching strategy.

The project presents an opportunity to support increased oil and gas production in Alberta to advance Canada’s export and national security objectives, while progressing toward carbon neutrality— including through achieving best-in-class emissions intensity for Canadian heavy oil production by 2050.

According to the Oil Sands Alliance the Pathways Project will lead to benefits for Canadians:

• Economic contribution: Represents up to $16.5B in GDP
• Labour income: Represents up to $12.2B in labour income
• Job creation: Will create between 18,500 and 43,000 jobs annually.

Latest updates

• On May 15, 2026, Canada and Alberta announced an implementation agreement to diversify our exports, lower emissions, and build a stronger, more sustainable economy for all.
• On April 2, 2026, Canada and Alberta signed the Co-operation Agreement between Alberta and Canada on Environmental and Impact Assessment. Canada and Alberta will implement a streamlined and flexible impact assessment process that minimizes duplication and delivers major projects faster while reinforcing strong environmental protections and upholding the rights of Indigenous Peoples. 
• On November 27, 2025, Canada and Alberta signed a memorandum of understanding to strengthen federal-provincial collaboration in the energy sector to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, unlock the full potential of Alberta’s energy resources, and create hundreds of thousands of new high-paying careers for Canadians.
• Budget 2025 announced that the government intends to extend the full value of the Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage Investment Tax Credit (CCUS) by 5 years, from 2031 to 2035, which is expected to help improve project economics.
• On September 11, 2025, this transformative strategy was referred to the Major Projects Office (MPO).    

Building upon the leadership of the Arctic Gateway Group, this project will upgrade the Port of Churchill and expand trade corridors with an all-weather road, an upgraded rail line, a new energy corridor, and marine ice-breaking capacity. The transformative strategy would prioritize Indigenous equity ownership, through a new Manitoba Crown Indigenous Corporation, and develop the projects needed to turn the Port of Churchill in major four season and dual-use gateway to the region. Expanded export capacity in the North through Hudson Bay would contribute to increased and diversified trade with Europe and other partners. The Major Projects Office will work with prospective proponents to bring certainty to the regulatory processes that will attract private and public sources of capital investment and more strongly link Churchill to the rest of Canada.

Latest updates

The Major Projects Office has created a business development team to work with the Government of Manitoba, proponents, and Indigenous Peoples to further develop the Port of Churchill Plus transformative strategy. To outline future development work, the Major Projects Office is working with the Government of Manitoba to develop a Project Charter to align efforts on this important initiative.

Canada’s electricity needs are expected to grow significantly, with demand estimated to double by 2050 as we work toward a net-zero future. Meeting this demand will require major investments to expand and upgrade our electricity systems.

Globally, interconnected electricity networks have shown they can save billions of dollars each year by improving efficiency, reducing energy production costs, and making better use of renewable energy sources. By building a stronger, more connected electricity system, Canada can achieve reliable, affordable, and sustainable energy for all.

The Transmission InterConnect Investment Strategy will identify high priority transmission projects, as well as possible financial solutions to help them move forward. The Strategy will focus on interties and high value intra-provincial transmission lines like the North Coast Transmission Line, which was previously referred to the MPO.

This strategy could include interties between provinces or territories, or intra-provincial transmission which unlocks new sources of electricity or meaningful economic growth.

Benefits

• Building and reinforcing Canada’s electricity infrastructure is an investment in our future and an enabler for economic growth and clean energy generation. 
• Larger, more interconnected grids provide multiple benefits: they enhance resilience, take advantage of geographic and time zone differences to provide better load balances, and lower system costs by avoiding the need for each province and territory to invest in duplicative or redundant capacity.
• Investing in robust transmission infrastructure ensures access to abundant, affordable, and reliable electricity across Canada, which is essential for competitiveness, energy security, and economic sovereignty. By supporting projects under this strategy, Canada can enable sustainable growth, unlock long-term economic potential, create new trade opportunities, strengthen national security and sovereignty, and secure prosperity for future generations.
• Global examples of interconnected electricity markets point to billions of dollars in annual cost savings from system optimization, lower energy production costs, better reliability, including during extreme weather events, and optimized renewable integration.

Latest updates

• On May 14, 2025, this transformative strategy was referred to the MPO.
• The Major Projects Office (MPO) will work with Natural Resources Canada, as well as other federal departments, other levels of government, industry, as well as Indigenous Peoples, to identify high priority transmission projects and coordinate ways to help them move forward faster.
• The MPO will also work with Crown corporations to ensure the right long-term funding mechanisms are in place to build out Canada’s transmission systems while supporting electricity affordability.

A project that would leverage over 60 GWs of wind power potential in Nova Scotia, and more across Atlantic Canada, connecting that renewable, emissions-free energy to Eastern and Atlantic Canada to meet rapidly growing demand. The Major Projects Office will advance Wind West Atlantic Energy with proponents to develop the projects and provide the regulatory certainty that attracts private investment and sets a course for long term wind resources development in the Maritime provinces. Wind West could be Canada’s first offshore wind development and will set the scale, direction and trajectory for future growth. Unlocking 5,000 MW in the first phase could produce 24 TWh of clean energy every year and drive billions in new investment and economic activity across Canada, led by the private sector. This Eastern Energy Partnership could include important projects like interties between New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, transmission cables between Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick as well as Quebec’s and Newfoundland and Labrador’s further development of Churchill Falls and Gull Island.

Latest updates

To support Nova Scotia’s initial goal of licensing up to 5 GW of offshore wind energy by 2030, in July 2025 the Government of Canada and Province of Nova Scotia jointly designated four areas for potential offshore wind development.

On September 20, 2025, the Government of Canada and Province of Nova Scotia issued joint direction to the Canada–Nova Scotia Offshore Energy Regulator to implement a prequalification process and a Call for Information to support the process to issue the first submerged land licences for offshore wind in Canada. This will help to attract qualified investments and provide an opportunity for the public, Indigenous groups and stakeholders to inform the path forward.

Later in fall 2025, the Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Energy Regulator is expected to launch the first ever Call for Bids for offshore wind and issue the first submerged land licences in the latter half of 2026.