Thank you, Minister Boulet.
And thank you to Minister MacKinnon, Mayor Allaire, and to all colleagues joining us this morning.
Today is an exciting day for Québec – and an exciting day for Canada.
Canada has always been a nation of builders.
We built big, ambitious projects – from the Canadian Pacific Railway to the St. Lawrence Seaway and the Trans-Canada Highway.
Infrastructure that transformed our country, that connected Canadians to each other, and Canada to the world.
In many respects, the Port of Montréal started that tradition, and it is now one of Canada’s gateways to the world.
More than 35 million tonnes of goods move through this port each year – carried by 2,000 vessels, 4,000 trains, and almost a million trucks.
Canadian products leave this port and are transported to markets in 140 countries across the globe, generating nearly $100 billion for our economy every year.
Nearly 600,000 people wake up every day and go to work because of this port.
The Port of Montréal was established in 1830 as a modest trading post for grain and other goods.
As Canada grew, this port grew along with it. Canadians built more ships, established more routes, and forged new international trade relationships – particularly with Great Britain.
By Confederation, a few decades later, more than 500 ships were passing through this port each year.
And with continued investments in rail, deeper waterways, and expanded infrastructure, this port helped transform Montréal into a global trade hub – connecting Canada to six continents across the globe.
This port has repeatedly expanded and transformed so that Quebecers and all Canadians could seize the opportunities of the future.
Today, we’re building on that legacy.
The world is changing rapidly.
War in the Middle East, Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine, and new trade regimes are reshaping the global economy in real time.
The effects are immediate and profound – closing markets, disrupting supply chains, and halting investment.
In the face of that uncertainty, Canada is focused on what we can control. We are building a stronger, more independent, more resilient economy – an economy built on the solid foundation of strong Canadian industries and workers, bolstered by international trade with a diverse set of reliable partners.
Canada’s new government is diversifying our trade partnerships. We have embarked on an ambitious new mission to double non-U.S. exports.
We are moving fast and getting results.
In less than a year, we have secured more than 20 economic and security partnerships across four continents.
This includes the new landmark agreement with China, which will help unlock more than $7 billion in export markets for Canadian workers and businesses. And we are negotiating new trade pacts with India, ASEAN, Thailand, the Philippines, and Mercosur.
To seize the full potential of these partnerships, Canada’s new government is moving with speed and ambition to build new mines, highways, and trade and energy corridors.
These major infrastructure projects will boost production of critical minerals and clean energy, expand Canada’s capacity to move goods to more markets at home and abroad, and create tens of thousands of new careers.
For too long, the construction of major infrastructure has been stalled by arduous, inefficient approval processes.
Last June, we passed the One Canadian Economy Act to accelerate projects of national interest.
Two months later, we created the Major Projects Office – a new single point of contact to get nation-building projects built faster.
One month after that, we referred the first tranche of projects to the Office, including the expansion of the Contrecœur Container Terminal Project, because we understood its potential and recognised the imperative of getting it built fast.
Let’s be clear: the vision for this terminal expansion was first proposed in 1988 – nearly 40 years ago.
Since then, it has been subject to delay after delay – a result of extensive and duplicative regulations and approval processes.
Last fall, our government stepped in decisively to get this project built.
Since referring the Contrecœur Terminal expansion to the Major Projects Office, we brought partners together – the Government of Québec, the Montréal Port Authority, Indigenous partners, and the private sector to move this project forward.
Together, we streamlined approvals, developed an effective financing approach, and secured the necessary permits to get this project built and built fast.
And to ensure the project had the certainty it needed to get over the line, our government provided more than $1 billion in financing through the Canada Infrastructure Bank.
And we did all of this in months – not decades.
So today, I am proud to announce that, less than seven months later, we are breaking ground on this project.
Shovels will be in the ground this year, and the new terminal is on track to be operational by 2030.
This is what’s possible when we have a common goal and work with ambition and focus to achieve it.
The Contrecœur Container Terminal Project will transform the Port of Montréal. It will add a modern, high-efficiency terminal, fully integrated with rail, road, and marine infrastructure – increasing the port’s capacity by 60%.
This expansion will open the door to new markets, creating a host of new trading opportunities for Canadian businesses.
And it will deliver real results for Canadians, including the people of Contrecœur and the surrounding region – creating approximately 4,000 high-paying jobs a year during construction and thousands more once it is operational, generating nearly $750 million for our economy every year.
The Contrecœur Terminal expansion is the first project referred to the Major Projects Office that we’re starting construction on.
This year, construction will begin on the first section of the Mackenzie Valley Highway in the Northwest Territories – a project that has been stalled for half a century.
We have already referred 21 projects and strategies to the Major Projects Office – highways, mines, and trade corridors that span the entire country, including multiple other transformative projects in Québec.
For example, the Nouveau Monde Graphite’s Matawinie Mine, a new graphite mine in Saint-Michel-des-Saints, will provide important inputs for defence applications and battery supply chains.
And the ALTO High-Speed Rail will become Canada’s first high-speed railway, spanning 1,000 kilometres from Toronto to Québec City.
These projects will create tens of thousands of high-paying careers for Canadians, connect our businesses and goods with new markets overseas, and drive billions of dollars into our economy every year.
For too long, when the federal government examined a new infrastructure project, their immediate question was: “Why?”
Today, Canada’s new government starts by asking: “How?”
How can we build it bigger? How can we build it faster? How can we build it now?
The Contrecœur Terminal Container Project is about more than the expansion of a port.
It is an example of a confident Canada. A country that is building again, that is connecting to the world.
With each shovel in the ground, with every new trade deal, we are building a stronger, more independent, more resilient country.
Canada has always been a nation of builders.
At this pivotal moment in history, we draw on that legacy once again.
We are building Canada strong.
And we are just getting started.
Thank you.