Ottawa Hasn’t Defined ‘National Interest’ Under Major Projects Law
Dominic LeBlanc, President of the King’s Privy Council for Canada and Minister responsible for Canada-U.S. Trade, Intergovernmental Affairs, Internal Trade and One Canadian Economy, responds during question period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Oct. 6, 2025. The Canadian Press/Sean Kilpatrick
The federal government still has not issued specific criteria to define the “national interest” under its new major projects law, despite calls from MPs to do so.
The Building Canada Act allows the government to identify projects in the “national interest” for faster approval processes, which could include exemptions from certain environmental laws.
