SNOBELEN: Carney moving to speed up nation-building projects

We simply must be faster and better at getting big things done.

Published Oct 02, 2026  •  Last updated 1 hour ago  •  3 minute read

Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks during an announcement that the Pacific Link has been listed as a project of national interest, in Fort McMurray, Alta. on Oct. 1, 2026. Photo by Itoro Umanah /Postmedia Network

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You can tell when you are on the right path when you encounter all the right opponents. Prime Minister Mark Carney can be pretty sure Bill C-39, the Building Canada Strong Act, is stirring up the right opposition.

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Carney needs to generate a wave of investment in major capital projects to get Canada out of a deep hole. The parliamentary budget officer (PBO) recently declared that the government will not balance its operating budget until the 2029-30 fiscal year. That’s not great news with interest costs heading north.

Worse yet, our southern cousins have declared economic war. America seems determined to attack Canadian sovereignty with overwhelming economic force. It must not be allowed to win.

But, to blunt the American attack, Carney must first take on some entrenched interests in Canada. His government’s success or failure in overcoming those interests will determine the country’s future. We’d better hope he has the right opponents in his sights.

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It is no secret that you can’t get anything big done in Canada. Heck, it can take years to get permission to build a garden shed, let alone a major project like a pipeline or a mine. A cottage industry makes ribbons for governments to cut for projects that never get off the ground.

The ability to stall projects is supported by professionals skilled in extensive study and negotiation and it is encouraged by government departments that measure progress in the number of meetings rather than outcomes. It’s an old, tired mess.

The government tried to take on the establishment with Bill C-5, the Build Canada Act. The act encouraged government departments to “act with urgency” and overcome “procedural redundancy.” Apparently, it wasn’t enough.

So, the government is back with the new Building Canada Strong Act and, right on cue, the usual suspects are screaming about rights. Labour is all over the right to strike and First Nations are adamant about the right to delay.

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The National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations (AFN), Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak, is horrified at the notion of a single-approval process with a one-year time limit. She said that this process will “subordinate the honour of the Crown to commercial imperatives.”

Well then, we wouldn’t want to mess with the honour of the Crown, would we? Cindy should do some thinking about those dastardly commercial imperatives; after all, they generate income that ultimately supports First Nations and everyone else.

And, in a quiet moment, Cindy might want to contemplate what lies ahead if Canada does not move at the speed of modern commerce. Life as the head of AFN might not be wonderful if Canada becomes the 51st state.

Folks at the Canadian Labour Congress aren’t impressed by the Carney government’s attempt to limit the ability of public sector unions to hold the economy hostage. The new act allows the government to end strikes and move bargaining to binding arbitration if the minister responsible feels the strike has a significant impact on the economy.

In other words, the government is no longer going to allow labour disputes to bring the entire nation to a screaming halt. Well, dang it, it’s about time.

I’m no cheerleader for the Carney government. I respect First Nations and understand the role of labour, but we simply must be faster and better at getting big things done. Near as I can tell, Carney has found the right opponents.

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