Current Status
Status: In Progress
The government has passed enabling legislation and launched the Major Projects Office with a stated two-year timeline for approvals, but no projects have yet reached final decisions to confirm the process works as promised.
Background
The promise emerged amid concerns over lengthy regulatory delays that hampered major infrastructure and resource projects under the previous administration, where approvals often stretched to five years or more. Fulfilling it would demand legislative changes to impose a binding two-year cap on decision-making for nationally significant projects, encompassing reviews under multiple federal laws like the Fisheries Act and Species at Risk Act. This shift aimed to boost economic competitiveness while maintaining environmental safeguards and Indigenous rights, as outlined in government statements on the initiative [2].
Evidence
The current government, sworn in after the 2025 election, moved forward on this promise with the passage of the Building Canada Act on June 26, 2025, which received royal assent and came into force that day. The act established a framework for accelerating national interest projects, including streamlined federal approvals to expedite development in areas like energy, minerals, and infrastructure [4].
On August 29, 2025, Prime Minister Mark Carney formally launched the Major Projects Office, headquartered in Calgary with additional offices planned in other cities. This office was tasked with serving as a single contact point to speed up project approvals, incorporating a maximum two-year timeline for decisions on projects deemed in the national interest [2].
Less than two weeks later, on September 11, 2025, the Prime Minister announced the first batch of projects referred to the office for review, including LNG Canada Phase 2 in Kitimat, British Columbia. The announcement specified that the office would work toward reducing approval timelines to two years maximum, in partnership with provinces, territories, and Indigenous groups, while aiming for a 'one project, one review' approach [1].
No further actions by the current government appear in the available records through early 2026. Previous governments had initiatives like the Major Projects Management Office Initiative, which ran until 2020 and focused on improving review processes for natural resource projects, but that effort predates the current administration and did not impose a two-year cap [8]. Similarly, earlier regulations under the Impact Assessment Act set a three-year limit for certain proponent submissions, but these were not tied to overall decision timelines and have since been amended or repealed, with one order repealed effective February 28, 2025 [3,7]. The current government's steps build on but differ from these prior efforts, as they introduce the new office and timeline explicitly.
As of March 9, 2026, no projects under the Major Projects Office have advanced to final decisions, leaving the two-year timeline untested in practice. Other sources, such as updates to labour relations acts or legislative overviews, do not indicate additional progress on this specific promise [5,6].
Assessment
The government's enactment of the Building Canada Act and establishment of the Major Projects Office mark substantive steps toward enforcing a two-year approval timeline for major projects, including those requiring decisions under various federal laws. By launching the office and referring initial projects for review, the administration has created a mechanism designed to deliver faster outcomes than the previous five-year norm, setting a credible foundation for fulfillment.
Yet the promise remains incomplete without evidence that the office consistently renders final decisions within the pledged timeframe. With the first projects only entering the process in September 2025, the coming months will determine whether this structure achieves the promised efficiency across all components, including integrated reviews under acts like Fisheries and Species at Risk. Until projects clear the full cycle, the initiative stands as a work in progress, with the potential to transform Canada's regulatory landscape if executed as intended.
Sources
- Prime Minister Carney announces first projects to be reviewed by the new Major Projects Office | Prime Minister of Canada
- Prime Minister Carney launches new Major Projects Office to fast-track nation-building projects | Prime Minister of Canada
- Designated Classes of Projects Order
- Building Canada Act
- Federal Public Sector Labour Relations Act
- 2. Overview of legislative services
- Impact Assessment Act
- Major Projects Management Office Initiative (MPMOI) - Natural Resources Canada