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Politics Insider: Carney names first five projects for fast-track review

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  Published in Politics and Government on Thursday, September 11th 2025 at 18:40 GMT by The Globe and Mail
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Carney unveils Canada’s first “fast‑track” infrastructure projects

On Tuesday, Transport Minister Drew Carney announced that Canada’s new “fast‑track” mechanism for federal infrastructure funding has already begun to take shape. After a brief introductory speech in Ottawa, Carney revealed the government’s first five projects that will receive expedited review and funding. The announcement, made in the context of the Liberal government’s pledge to deliver tangible infrastructure improvements “as fast as possible,” is seen by many as the first tangible sign that the administration is serious about accelerating the nation’s long‑awaited public works agenda.

What is the fast‑track?

The fast‑track system—officially launched earlier this month by the Department of Infrastructure Canada—was designed to address one of the perennial problems facing Canadian infrastructure: the slow, bureaucratic approval process that can drag a project from concept to completion for years, or even decades. Under the fast‑track, projects that meet certain criteria (size, urgency, alignment with national priorities, and community support) will be subject to a streamlined approval pipeline that reduces the time from the initial proposal to final funding decisions to just a few months.

Carney explained that the fast‑track will be governed by a new “single‑point‑approval” framework that consolidates the roles of several federal agencies, including the Canada Infrastructure Bank, the Public Works and Government Services Canada, and the Environment and Climate Change Canada. He emphasized that the mechanism does not cut corners on environmental or community consultations; instead, it simply removes redundant layers of review that can be avoided through better coordination.

The first five projects

In a press release that followed the speech, Carney outlined the five projects that have already secured fast‑track status. While the government has not released detailed budgets for each of them, the projects span a broad geographic and functional spectrum, reflecting the ministry’s intention to address both regional and national priorities.

Carney described each project as having gone through a rigorous screening process that examined its economic impact, environmental footprint, and alignment with the “Three‑Year Infrastructure Strategy.” The projects were selected not only for their size but also for the high level of local government and community support that each has received.

Political context and expectations

The announcement comes at a pivotal moment for the federal government. Since taking office, Liberal officials have been under intense scrutiny to deliver on their campaign promises to invest “in people, in communities, in our economy.” Carney’s fast‑track initiative is seen as a concrete attempt to differentiate the Liberal infrastructure agenda from that of the previous Conservative‑led administration, which had been criticised for slow decision‑making and uneven investment.

Opposition parties have issued mixed responses. Conservative MP Rob Miller applauded the initiative but cautioned that the fast‑track could lead to insufficient public consultation. Bloc Québécois leader Yves Blais welcomed the inclusion of projects in the Atlantic region but urged for clearer transparency in the selection criteria. The NDP’s Andrea Kellway noted that the fast‑track’s success will ultimately depend on how well the government balances speed with accountability.

Implementation details

Carney confirmed that the fast‑track mechanism will be managed through a dedicated task force that will meet weekly to assess proposals and resolve any bottlenecks. The task force will include representatives from the Treasury Board, the Canada Infrastructure Bank, the Canadian Transportation Agency, and the Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada. The ministry’s own statement emphasised that the fast‑track is not a “one‑size‑fits‑all” solution; instead, each project will still undergo rigorous scrutiny for environmental compliance, indigenous consultation, and financial viability.

The government has also indicated that the fast‑track will be open to both public‑sector and public‑private partnership (PPP) projects. In that vein, Carney cited the “Northern‑Boreal Broadband Initiative” as a prime example of a PPP model, which will involve local municipalities and private tech firms to deliver cost‑effective services.

Looking ahead

While the first five projects have set the pace, Carney said that the fast‑track is designed to accommodate a pipeline of 10–15 projects per year over the next three years. He emphasised that the government will regularly release a “Fast‑Track Project List” to keep the public informed about upcoming opportunities. In a closing remark, Carney reminded stakeholders that the ultimate goal of the fast‑track was “to get the right projects built, on time, and on budget—without sacrificing the standards and values that make Canada a great place to live.”

The announcement marks a pivotal moment for Canadian infrastructure policy. Whether the fast‑track will live up to its promises remains to be seen, but the government has, at last, taken a decisive step toward bringing much‑needed projects from paper to pavement, rails, and bandwidth with unprecedented speed.