Good morning, everyone. 

Premier Ford, thank you for joining us in Ottawa. It’s good to see you again. 

The Premier and I are united in our shared mission to build.

During Premier Ford’s time as Chair of the Council of the Federation, we worked closely together to reduce interprovincial trade barriers and create the conditions to get Canada building again. Today, we’re transforming how we can build Ontario strong.

Our priority is to deliver on large infrastructure projects that will strengthen our domestic industries, diversify our trade partnerships, and create thousands of new careers for Ontarians.

For too long, the construction of major infrastructure has been stalled by arduous, inefficient approval processes. Uncertainty, red tape, duplicative and complicated review processes have curbed investment. 

One study showed that regulatory requirements in Canada have increased by 40% over the past two decades, suppressing business investment growth by nearly 10%. 

We need to turn that around to create high-paying jobs today and better futures for our kids tomorrow.

Canada has always been a proud nation of builders. 

We used to build big things in this country, and we used to build them quickly. 

It’s time to get back at it, and get on with it. 

That starts with getting out of our own way.

Today, Canada and Ontario signed a Co-operation Agreement on Environmental and Impact Assessment. This will speed up project approval timelines by introducing a “one project, one review” approach.

Under this agreement, Canada and Ontario will have a streamlined and flexible assessment process. 

This will make approvals more efficient, delivering major projects faster while maintaining both federal and provincial standards. 

By working together, we will:

• work with the same information.
• have the same timelines.
• respect each other’s jurisdictions.

For example, if a project is primarily regulated by Ontario, the federal government will rely on the provincial environmental assessment. When a project falls under federal jurisdiction, the federal process will take precedence.

When there are shared responsibilities, we will pool resources and align timelines, including through a harmonised process.  

In all cases, the Ontario and federal governments will maintain their standards and take their responsibilities for the final approval decisions.

By aligning our approaches, we reduce duplication in the assessment phase and get projects built faster.

By working together and providing greater certainty to builders, we will turbocharge the construction of the infrastructure we need to grow our economy and build Canada strong. 

This is Canada’s third Impact Assessment Agreement with the provinces, following agreements with British Columbia and New Brunswick, and we’re working with other provinces, such as Prince Edward Island, to the same end. 

Our goal is to finalise agreements with every province. 

Canada’s new government is building our economy – and it is not just what we build, but how we build.

We are building in solidarity with workers, creating good union jobs from the skilled trades to STEM.

We are building sustainably, reducing emissions while boosting competitiveness and affordability.

We are building inclusively, in full partnership with First Nations, Inuit, and Métis. 

Under this agreement, the federal government reaffirms its commitment to upholding the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and is putting this into action by providing funding for Indigenous Peoples to participate in the associated assessment processes.

And we are building Canadian, with Canadian workers, Canadian steel, Canadian aluminum, and Canadian lumber.

On Tuesday, our new Buy Canadian Policy came into effect. 

From now on, the government will prioritise the use of Canadian steel, aluminum, and lumber in major federal construction and defence projects.

We will also give preference to Canadian businesses with a genuine presence in Canada – those that invest here, employ Canadians, and strengthen the local economy.

We’re building in partnership with provinces and territories. 

We’ve referred multiple projects across our country to the new Major Projects Office, including the Darlington New Nuclear Project in Bowmanville, Ontario. 

The project will drive $500 million annually into the province’s nuclear supply chain and will position Canada as a global leader in the deployment of small modular reactors.

In total, 18,000 workers will be involved in construction.

Once built, the new reactor will power 300,000 homes with clean energy and sustain about 4,000 jobs.

The Major Projects Office will also accelerate Canada’s production and processing of critical minerals.

In Ontario, the Ring of Fire has the critical minerals needed for electric vehicles, solar, wind, and defence applications.

In a rapidly shifting global economy, we cannot control what other nations do, but we can control what we choose to do. We are choosing to build Ontario strong – to build Canada strong.

Thank you.