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Or sign-in if you have an account.Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks during a news conference at the National Press Theatre in Ottawa, Canada on June 25, 2026. (Photo by Dave Chan / AFP via Getty Images)When Prime Minister Mark Carney promised to build at speeds not seen in generations, Canadians could be forgiven for thinking he meant to actually accelerate projects.Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.Unlimited online access to National Post.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.Unlimited online access to National Post.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorFriday marks the one-year-anniversary of the Building Canada Act receiving Royal Assent and since that time not one “nation-building” project has been approved under the legislation.On Wednesday, the Liberals made great fanfare in announcing they were moving forward with three “major projects” of national interest under the act. Aware, no doubt, that the anniversary was approaching they must have felt it politic to announce something.But all they are doing is “initiating the process” to “potentially” list the projects as being of national interest under the act.This newsletter from NP Comment tackles the topics you care about. (Subscriber-exclusive edition on Fridays)By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try againTo a lot of Canadians “that probably sounds like a lot of jargon,” said Energy Minister Tim Hodgson at the announcement.No, it doesn’t sound like jargon, it sounds like nothing is getting done. It’s just more bureaucracy, more hurdles to jump through, more paperwork to fill out and more boxes to tick.The Building Canada Act was rushed through Parliament, with the help of the Conservatives, because Carney promised to build “nation-building infrastructure on a scale and at speeds not seen in generations.”Instead, we are stuck in neutral gear.The first project the Liberals highlighted was the Mackenzie Valley Highway, a proposed 800-kilometre all-season gravel highway connecting remote communities which at present have to use airplanes, river barges or a winter road.It’s a worthwhile project.But it has been a “strategic priority” for Canada since 1958, according to a timeline by the government of the Northwest Territories. It has been in the hands of the Liberals since 2018 when $140 million in funding was announced for “environmental assessment and planning studies.”Environmental assessment is still ongoing, according to the timeline, so it was disheartening to hear Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon on Wednesday announcing that “environment assessment work” on the highway was still needed.Carney likes to boast that the St. Lawrence Seaway, with its seven locks stretching over 300 kilometres, took just five years from concept to completion.“These were some of the nation-building projects of our past. Major structures, built with ambition and determination that connected and transformed our national economy. They represent much of how we will build again,” Carney said a year ago after the Building Canada Act passed in the Commons.The act was “very, very important,” he said. It was “especially consequential.”“We can build big, big bold, build now,” said the prime minister.A year later we have built nothing.A second project announced on Wednesday was the Grays Bay Road and Port, a proposed all-season 230-kilometre road from the Nunavut border to a deepwater port and airfield at Grays Bay on the Arctic Ocean.But as a policy paper for the North American and Arctic Defence and Security Network organization makes clear this project has undergone “five iterations in the last thirty years.”Building big and bold really means dusting off plans that have been on the shelf for 30 or almost 70 years.The third project announced on Wednesday was an underground nuclear waste storage facility in northwestern Ontario.It’s not that these projects aren’t needed, but Carney promised so much more. Where are the “railways, ports, airports, oil pipelines, critical minerals, mines, nuclear facilities, and electricity transmission systems” he pledged to build?Carney has meet with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith about a pipeline to the West Coast and the province is due to submit a proposal to the Major Projects Office by July 1 with the expectation it would be designated a project of national interest by Oct. 1.While this is welcome, it is still not moving at speeds seen in generations.The truth is, despite what the prime minister says, Canada will never again be able to build anything as ambitious as the likes of the St. Lawrence Seaway in five years. It’s a daydream.For better or worse, Canada is committed to endless environmental assessments. As well, the federal government has a constitutional “duty to consult” with Indigenous people and because it has adopted the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act it must also obtain “free, prior and informed consent” for projects.These conditions do not make it impossible to move forward on projects, but it does mean progress will be slow.Carney’s big, bold talk may fool some Canadians, but others will recognize it for its mushroom growing properties.National PostEditor’s note: All three projects, including the nuclear waste storage facility, have been referred to the Major Projects Office. An earlier version of this column misstated which projects had been referred to the MPO. Join the Conversation This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about cookies here. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.