SASKATOON — On Monday, Ontario Premier Doug Ford stated that the meeting between the country’s premiers and Prime Minister Mark Carney to discuss national initiatives was the most productive one held in the past ten years.
These remarks essentially serve as a subtle criticism of ex-prime minister Justin Trudeau, who often had tense interactions with the organization, particularly prairie premiers aiming to expand their energy industries.
Ford stated that both the premiers and the entire nation remain unified as Canada faces an assault from U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs, despite disagreements within the group regarding long-standing pipeline politics.
On Monday, provincial and territorial heads met with Carney in Saskatoon, where each premier arrived with their own list of significant initiatives they aspire for the federal government to consider as being in the nation’s best interests and subsequently expedite for approval.
“The aim is to create the certainty, stability, and ambition that developers require to spur massive investments—investments needed to transform Canada into an energy superpower,” Carney stated during the concluding press conference.
As the team deliberated several possible “nation-building” initiatives involving natural resources and infrastructure in closed sessions, they opted not to publish a definitive roster later, which might have demonstrated tangible progress.
Nevertheless, Ford stated that there is no cause for concern regarding this indication.
“He stated that nothing was set in stone during this meeting,” and added that he did not anticipate the prime minister would greenlight particular initiatives at this gathering.
I compared him to Santa Claus today. He’s arriving with his sleigh loaded with various items. Now, he’s departing for the North Pole where he will organize everything before giving us a call.
The federal Liberals have not yet introduced their proposed bill in Parliament aimed at expediting approval processes for certain projects to a maximum of two years. This legislation might be presented as soon as this week.
When questioned about the absence of details following the meeting, Carney informed journalists that he could list numerous potential candidates.
He proceeded to rattle off a list that featured the Grays Bay Road and Port, intended to link southern Canada with the Arctic via roadway, as well as the Ring of Fire mining initiative in Northern Ontario. He also mentioned the Pathways Alliance oil sands project without making any firm commitments regarding it.
Carney mentioned that the team would define which initiatives qualify as top priorities during the upcoming summer period. He also highlighted that with private entities recognizing this chance, “we will witness an increase in project submissions.”
He stated that the forthcoming federal laws will require significant engagement with Indigenous Peoples, covering aspects like project selection and development methodologies.
Alberta’s Premier, Danielle Smith, entered the discussion cautioning that excluding new pipelines from the list could convey an unfavorable message to her province.
She exited the meeting on an optimistic note, stating that it’s the responsibility of political figures to identify a supporter for a fresh pipeline initiative, and she expressed her readiness to provide this process with an opportunity.
She expressed optimism regarding the swift shift in tone observed recently compared to past months,” she stated. “It’s noteworthy when we hear the Prime Minister speak about becoming an energy superpower, as this rhetoric hasn’t been used in quite a while.
Carney emphasized that “decarbonized” barrels of oil should be considered within the wider scope of national interests.
There is genuine potential in this idea,” he stated. “We spent considerable time discussing it with possible partners to see how we could proceed. Should it be further developed, the federal government would aim to promote it.
Smith highlighted the Pathways Alliance initiative, a coalition of prominent Canadian oil sands firms advocating for their ability to combat climate change via carbon capture and storage technology aimed at lowering emissions, presenting this as a solution.
“There are numerous methods for reducing carbon emissions; however, the Pathways initiative comes with a hefty price tag,” she stated.
The estimated construction cost could range between $10 and $20 billion. To justify this economically, increasing export capacity with additional barrels heading to Asia should cover the expenses. A pipeline capable of transporting one million barrels per day to the northwestern British Columbia coastline would yield approximately $20 billion annually in revenue, making this seem like quite an attractive investment opportunity.
However, heading into the meeting, B.C. Deputy Premier Niki Sharma stated that Smith’s suggestion for a bitumen pipeline to British Columbia’s north coast, possibly by resurrecting the halted Northern Gateway project, currently “has no supporter” at present.
We are concentrating on these ready-to-go initiatives rather than hypothetical ones without backers,” Sharma stated in a subsequent release. “Additionally, we have this current pipeline which remains underutilized despite Canadian taxpayers having spent $34 billion on it, and it still has plenty of unused capacity.
The report by The Canadian Press was initially released on June 2, 2025.
Kyle Duggan and Jeremy Simes from The Canadian Press
