The Honourable Seamus O’Regan Jr., Minister of Labour and Seniors, and Chair of the Ministerial Working Group on Regulatory Efficiency for Clean Growth Projects, announced the release of Building Canada’s Clean Future, an action plan to modernize federal assessment and permitting processes and get projects, that help us fight climate change, create and support jobs, and grow our economy, built faster.

To advance work to secure investment and grow the economy in every region of Canada, the Ministerial Working Group on Regulatory Efficiency for Clean Growth Projects worked throughout its mandate to develop an action plan to drive clean growth project decisions to happen more quickly. This included seeking input and recommendations on how our assessment and permitting processes can operate more efficiently and predictably. The Working Group heard clearly that actions must be guided by transparency, coordination, clarity and predictability and that these processes must continue to protect Canadians and their environment. We also must ensure that Indigenous Peoples are actively involved from the very beginning, so they can reap the full benefits of clean growth projects.

Above all, the Working Group prioritized solutions for how the federal government can drive timely decisions and faster accomplishments, without cutting corners. As such, the Action Plan proposes concrete steps to make current processes more efficient by clarifying and reducing timelines, mitigating inefficiencies, reducing duplication, and improving engagement. Key actions guiding the Plan include:

• Assessment and permitting targets of 5 years for federally designated projects, 2 years or less for non-federally designated projects, and 3 years for nuclear projects.
• Establishing a Crown Consultation Coordinator to ensure meaningful Crown consultation with Indigenous Peoples on the issuance of federal authorizations.
• Establishing a Federal Permitting Coordinator on clean growth projects within the Privy Council Office’s Clean Growth Office and issuing a Cabinet Directive that clearly outlines roles and responsibilities for all relevant federal departments.
• Using Natural Resources Canada’s Regional Energy and Resource Tables, which are currently stood up with 11 out of 13 jurisdictions, to test permitting efficiencies and find better ways to coordinate with provinces and territories.
• Amending the Impact Assessment Act.
• Standing up a new Federal Permitting Dashboard that will provide a public snapshot of the status of clean growth projects which require federal assessment and permitting decisions, to improve predictability and transparency from start to finish.

As the world reduces emissions and decarbonizes industry, there will continue to be growing demand for Canadian resources and innovation. To meet that demand and seize the economic opportunities it provides, Canada needs significant and sustained private sector investment in clean growth projects. By making sure assessment and permitting processes are more efficient and timelier, the Government of Canada is stepping up to ensure we secure investments, attract and accelerate clean growth projects, and build the projects that position us for success now and for generations to come.

Quotes

“We need to build big things in this country. And we can, because we’ve got the resources, we’ve got the people, and we’ve got the wherewithal. This is our plan to give industry, investors and workers the certainty and confidence they need to build.”

— The Honourable Seamus O’Regan Jr., Minister of Labour and Seniors, and Chair of the Ministerial Working Group on Regulatory Efficiency for Clean Growth Projects

“Today’s Action Plan recognizes that Indigenous equity participation in major clean growth projects is critical to Indigenous economic reconciliation. This Action Plan will prioritize Indigenous People’s rights, help foster stronger relationships with Indigenous partners, and support capacity within Indigenous communities. By working hand-in-hand with Indigenous, Inuit and Métis Peoples and incorporating their traditional knowledge, we can create clean growth projects that will protect our environment and help build a fair economy for everyone.”

— The Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Indigenous Services

“As clean energy demand continues to grow worldwide, so does demand to build good projects in Canada. We are positioned to be a global leader in the net-zero economy of the future, and the release of the Action Plan ensures we meet that moment by cutting red tape and building good projects that will create jobs and opportunities across Canada today and into the future.”

—  The Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources

Quick Facts

• Budget 2023 committed to improving the efficiency of assessment and permitting processes for clean growth projects, with the goal of heightening investor confidence and advancing the net-zero economy. As regulatory processes for major projects implicate many federal government departments, the Ministerial Working Group on Regulatory Efficiency for Clean Growth Projects was formed in 2023 to lead this work.
• Budget 2024 announced new measures for regulatory efficiency, including an additional $9 million over three years to the Privy Council Office’s Clean Growth Office to oversee federal coordination of major clean growth projects, including implementation of the Action Plan on Regulatory Efficiency for Clean Growth Projects.
• The items from the action plan will be implemented by various departments, as outlined in the action plan. The PCO Clean Growth Office will act as a central node to coordinate implementation efforts.
• Measures outlined in the plan will reduce duplication, improve predictability and transparency, and increase the efficiency of our regulatory system for clean growth projects.
• Ministerial Working Group Members:
  • The Honourable Seamus O’Regan Jr., Minister of Labour and Seniors (Chair)
  • The Honourable Gary Anandasangaree, Minister of Crown–Indigenous Relations
  • The Honourable of François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry
  • The Honourable Chrystia Freeland, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance
  • The Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change
  • The Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Indigenous Services
  • The Honourable Gudie Hutchings, Minister of Rural Economic Development and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency
  • The Honourable Diane Lebouthillier, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard
  • The Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources

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• Clean Growth — Getting Major Projects Done
• Budget 2024: Fairness for every generation