Carney's major project list includes LNG development, nuclear power, mining

An expansion to the Port of Montreal and work to double liquefied natural gas production in B.C. are among five projects to be considered first for fast-track approval under the federal government's major projects legislation.

Prime Minister Mark Carney is set to formally release the project list in Edmonton on Thursday.

A draft news release obtained by The Canadian Press names five projects that will be considered for speedy approval by the government's major projects office, and five additional projects that require further development.

The five projects also include a first-of-its kind small modular reactor in Clarington, Ont., a new copper and zinc mine in Saskatchewan and an expansion of the Red Chris Mine copper operation in northwestern B.C.

The release says the LNG Canada Phase 2 project in Kitimat, B.C., which the government says would double Canada's liquefied natural gas production, would open a pathway for approval of other liquefied natural gas projects.

Some of the projects identified for further development include enhancements to the Port of Churchill in Manitoba, a high-speed rail line between Toronto and Québec City, a 50-gigawatt wind energy project in Nova Scotia and an Alberta-based carbon capture and storage project.

The projects listed for future development — which also include plans for all-weather road projects in Northern Canada to support potential critical mineral development — hit all of Canada's main regions.

Bill C-5, which moved through Parliament at lightning speed in the spring, is meant to streamline and speed up approvals for large infrastructure projects as the federal government looks to shore up Canada's economy against the tariff hits from the United States.

Picture Courtesy: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Amber Bracken