Latest news with #energySuperpower
National Post
2 days ago
- Business
- National Post
Jesse Kline: Mark Carney fast tracks the road to serfdom
Have you heard the good news: our federal, provincial and territorial leaders all agree on the pressing need to build the critical infrastructure necessary to develop our natural resources, get them to market and turn Canada into an 'energy superpower.' Article content Yet despite all the optimism and goodwill expressed by Prime Minister Mark Carney and his provincial counterparts following the first ministers' meeting in Saskatoon on Monday, it's readily apparent that the seeds of disunity and obstructionism are already taking root. Article content Article content Article content At a Monday press conference, the leaders made a point of highlighting that this is a 'generational opportunity,' and that they are united in their quest to tear down internal trade barriers and build critical infrastructure. Article content Article content 'We are united. We're going to move this country forward, the likes of which we've never seen before,' said Ontario Premier Doug Ford. Article content Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe called this 'a generational opportunity for Canadians,' while Manitoba's Wab Kinew noted that it's also a 'generational opportunity for some of the poorest communities in our country.' Article content Even Alberta Premier Danielle Smith expressed cautious optimism that the process will bear fruit for her province. Article content But, as usual, the devil will be in the details, and Carney spent an inordinate amount of time going over all the fine print. Article content While he promised to work 'with the provinces, the territories and Indigenous peoples to identify and expedite nation-building projects,' the catch is that they will have to be deemed to be 'in the national interest' by the Liberal brain trust, along with provincial and Aboriginal leaders who represent a host of often competing interests throughout this geographically and culturally diverse country. Article content Article content To be in the 'national interest,' Carney said that prospective projects will have to 'strengthen the Canadian economy, strengthen our autonomy, our resilience, our security, providing undeniable benefits to Canada, have a high likelihood of successful execution, be a high priority for Indigenous leaders and … drive Canada's clean growth potential.' Article content Article content Which pretty much gives politicians license to reject any project for any reason at all. Article content Premier Ford did express confidence in the prime minister's ability to create the 'environment and conditions for people to come here, companies to come here and invest,' which is exactly what we need. Article content But it's hard to imagine too many businesses risking their time, energy and capital when they know their investment could be flushed down the drain if the mandarins in the Canadian politburo think it doesn't meet Carney's criteria of being 'in the national interest,' having sufficient 'Indigenous participation, advancing clean energy' and providing 'material benefits to Canadians.'
CTV News
4 days ago
- Business
- CTV News
Premiers huddle with Carney in Saskatoon to decide what major projects to prioritize
Prime Minister Mark Carney, front left, walks alongside Francois Legault, Premier of Quebec, as they are joined by first ministers as they arrives to take part in the First Minister Meeting at the National War Museum in Ottawa on Friday, March 21, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld SASKATOON — Canada's premiers are meeting with Prime Minister Mark Carney in person for the first time since the federal election to pitch which major projects they think should get fast tracked. The recent campaign saw Carney vow to slash federal approval times on major infrastructure projects considered to be in the national interest to help make the country an 'energy superpower.' The full list of big industrial projects they're discussing is being kept secret, since they don't want to send a bad signal about anything that doesn't make the short list. But Ontario Premier Doug Ford says his pick is the Ring of Fire mining project in northern Ontario, while Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says she wants to see the Port of Prince Rupert become a major trade corridor. The first ministers are also expected to discuss breaking down interprovincial trade barriers, which would make it easier to purchase Canadian-made goods from other provinces and territories. Many provinces, including Quebec and Ontario, are coming to the table with legislation already put forward that would eliminate some of these longstanding blocks to internal trade. With files from Rob Drinkwater in Edmonton This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 2, 2025. Kyle Duggan, The Canadian Press
National Post
28-05-2025
- Business
- National Post
Mark Carney pressed on lack of spring budget in first question period as prime minister
OTTAWA — Prime Minister Mark Carney was pressed on his government's decision to punt the budget until the fall and his promise to make Canada an 'energy superpower' during his first question period on Wednesday. Article content Article content Interim Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer started by welcoming Carney to his first official question period and reminded him 'this is where we provide rigorous scrutiny on every word he says and every dollar he spends on behalf of Canadians.' Article content 'Now, let's talk about those words and dollars,' he said. Article content Article content Scheer went on to enumerate how he believes Canadians are still suffering from the consequences of Liberal policies — pointing to increased household debt and food bank usage — and asked how a man who promised to act at 'great speed' won't table a budget right away. Article content Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne said two weeks ago there would be no federal budget in the spring, but a fall economic statement instead. Days later, Carney announced his government would present a budget during the fall session instead. 'If he's the man with the plan and the guy you hire in a crisis, why won't he table a budget before he goes on summer vacation?' Scheer asked. Article content Carney shot back by saying that Scheer was probably 'very busy' and 'did not have a chance to study closely the 100-day plan' of Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre which made no mention of tabling a budget in that timeframe. Article content 'They must be really afraid to come clean with Canadians if they're going to punt it off into the fall,' retorted Scheer. Article content Article content Scheer went on to question Carney on his 'claim that somehow the Liberals have changed' and said he had 'a chance to prove it to Canadians.' 'If he's serious, will he tell Canadians that pipelines are part of his values by repealing Bill C-69?' Article content Ottawa's impact assessment act, also dubbed the 'no pipelines bill' by its critics, came into force in 2019 and has been a hot-button issue ever since. Article content Carney insisted that his 'new government' would act immediately to grow the economy, support 'nation-building projects' and work with provinces to build them. Article content The Conservative opposition went on to question many of his ministers on pipelines and housing — with a particular focus on rookie ministers Tim Hodgson and Gregor Robertson. Article content The prime minister's office confirmed earlier this week that Carney would not be pursuing his predecessor Justin Trudeau's tradition of answering all questions put to the government by the opposition in the House of Commons every Wednesday.
National Post
27-05-2025
- Business
- National Post
Jesse Kline: Throne speech was a win for King Charles, a challenge for Mark Carney
Article content Following a lengthy introduction that struck the right balance between upholding Canadian sovereignty and appeasing competing diplomatic interests, King Charles laid out the government's agenda for the 45th Parliament. Article content In some respects, it was a breath of fresh air, as it offered more specific policy proposals than the typical Liberal throne speech, which are generally full of lofty goals but short on details. Yet the government's agenda is ambitious and wide-ranging, and some of its plans seem to have been left intentionally vague. Article content There were promises to 'introduce legislation to remove all remaining federal barriers to internal trade and labour mobility by Canada Day,' tighten border security, restore 'balance' to the immigration system, rebuild the Canadian Armed Forces and 'double the rate of home building.' The government committed to work with the provinces to create a 'one project, one review' system for new infrastructure developments within six months. It promised to remove 'barriers that have held back our economy,' unleashing 'a new era of growth that will ensure we don't just survive ongoing trade wars, but emerge from them stronger than ever.' And in a clear break from the Trudeau era, it pledged that Canada will become 'the world's leading energy superpower in both clean and conventional energy.' Article content There was a lot in the throne speech that even conservatives should be able to get behind, but how many of the government's goals will be realized remains an open question. Phrases such as 'speed is of the essence' and assurances that the 'government will be guided by a new fiscal discipline' already ring hollow given all the big-ticket promises the Liberals have made and the fact that after a short, three-week spring session, parliamentarians will take an extended summer break. They won't get down to the business of passing legislation or tabling a budget until the fall. Article content And the Liberals don't exactly have a great track record when it comes to meeting the goals laid out in a throne speech. After the 2021 election, Governor General Mary Simon spent a lot of time talking about reconciliation, growing the economy, fighting climate change, strengthening our health-care system, making communities safer, reducing the cost of living, building housing and spending wisely. Article content If these priorities sound familiar, it's because Canada faces many of the same problems today. Though the context has shifted from pandemic recovery to dealing with Trump's trade war, many of the government's priorities remain the same, as the Liberals completely failed to fix the vast majority of problems they set out to address three and a half years ago. Article content Despite pledging to build 'more housing units per year' and end 'chronic homelessness,' new housing starts actually decreased 11.4 per cent between 2021 and 2024, while the number of people in homeless shelters skyrocketed. Despite all the carbon taxes and emissions caps, greenhouse gas emissions remained stagnant. Article content Despite promising to combat 'hate and racism' and make our streets safer, antisemitic incidents jumped 122 per cent between 2021 and 2024, according to B'nai Brith Canada, while the police-reported crime rate and crime severity index both increased between 2021 and 2023. Article content Meanwhile, reconciliation is still a pipe dream and affordability is still a pressing concern. Inflation increased from 3.4 per cent in 2021 to 6.8 per cent in 2022, before falling to 2.4 per cent in 2024. The deficit nearly doubled. And the average time it takes to receive treatment after getting a referral from a doctor rose to 30 weeks in 2024, from 25.6 in 2021, according to the Fraser Institute.
Wall Street Journal
13-05-2025
- Business
- Wall Street Journal
Prime Minister Carney Says Canada Can Emerge As Energy Superpower
OTTAWA—Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Tuesday he's willing to amend federal rules that may pose headwinds toward getting energy projects built and capitalize on the country's abundance of natural resources. Carney reiterated his commitment to help build a west-to-east crude-carrying pipeline—so long as there is a nationwide consensus—and he's looking to position the country as an energy superpower that includes, but isn't limited to, oil and gas production.
