Liberal Leader Mark Carney and wife Diana Fox Carney arrive in Calgary on April 8.Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press
Liberal Leader Mark Carney pledged a new approach to make Canada an energy superpower, arguing that it can increase conventional energy production while leading on the clean energy transition.
Mr. Carney announced in Calgary on Wednesday that a Liberal government would establish a federal project office with a new mandate to conduct one review per project and issue a decision within two years instead of five.
He also promised a new “first and last mile fund” to connect critical-mineral projects to supply chains. The fund’s purpose would be to help kick-start projects and get critical minerals, which are essential for renewable energy technologies, to market faster. It’s unclear, however, how the fund would work and whether it would distribute grants or loans.
Mr. Carney said his new approach will strive to make Canada less dependent on other countries, such as the United States, for energy. He said it will also aim to diversify trading partners and improve the country’s competitiveness.
“To build the strongest economy in the G7 we need to develop both clean energy and the lowest-carbon conventional energy,” Mr. Carney said.
Trade tensions with the U.S. have spurred more interest in resource and energy development in Canada, with both front-runners in the federal election campaign pledging to speed up project approvals.
The Liberals, who had a strained relationship with Alberta under former prime minister Justin Trudeau over energy-related policies, are vying to increase their seat count in the western province, where they last held two ridings.
After Mr. Carney’s announcement, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith accused the Liberal Leader of “flip-flopping,” in a statement provided to The Globe and Mail.
“If you want to get pipelines built, corridors established, and open up markets, then you have to get rid of all the policies that are killing investment and growth in our country,” Ms. Smith said, adding that the next prime minister should repeal the emissions cap and Bill C-69, also known as the Impact Assessment Act.
Matthew Glover, a spokesperson for the Saskatchewan government, said in a statement that it would be reviewing the Liberals’ announcement. Mr. Glover said the province also expects Ottawa to repeal the Impact Assessment Act. Mr. Carney has said he doesn’t plan to do so.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has also proposed a “one-stop shop” in the form of the Rapid Resource Project Office, which would handle all regulatory approvals across all levels of government.
Mr. Poilievre has said his government would mandate one application and one environmental review per project, with the goal of making decisions about applications within six months, to a maximum of a year.
Prior to entering politics, Mr. Carney was a vocal advocate for net-zero policies, warning that climate change would have dire consequences for the economy. After leaving the Bank of England, he was appointed the United Nations special envoy for climate action and finance.
During the campaign, Mr. Carney has placed significant emphasis on resource development, saying Wednesday that Canada needs to increase its production of conventional energy. He’s also reduced the consumer carbon price to zero and pledged to eliminate it entirely.
The Liberal Leader said, however, that he’s not abandoning his values around climate change.
“Clean energy is going to be increasingly important to competitiveness,” Mr. Carney said, adding that reducing emissions generated during the production and use of conventional energy will be necessary to make Canada “dominate” the market in the long term.
The International Energy Agency said last year that energy investment was set to reach US$2-trillion in 2024, with two-thirds of that investment in clean technologies.
The Liberals said the faster review of projects will uphold environmental standards and Indigenous consultation. They also pledged to increase funding to $40-million to facilitate engagement on projects with Indigenous communities.
Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions fell in 2023 by about 1 per cent from the previous year, according to an annual report the federal government submits to the United Nations. But it still has a way to go to reach its goal of cutting emissions by 40 per cent to 45 per cent by 2030, relative to 2005. As of 2023, emissions were only down by 8.5 per cent.