It’s a big day for Quebec. It’s a big day for Canada.

This country, this province, Quebec, has always been about building. We built big, ambitious projects, from the Canadian Pacific Railway to the St. Lawrence Seaway and the Trans-Canada Highway, built infrastructure that transformed our country, connected Canadians with each other and Canada to the world. In many respects, the Port of Montreal started that very tradition, and it’s now one of Canada's gateways to the world. Already, there's more than 35 million tons of goods that move through the Port of Montreal every year, carried by 2,000 vessels, 4,000 trains, a million trucks. Canadian products leave this port and they're transported, as the Minister just said, to over 140 countries across the globe, generating nearly $100 billion for our economy every year. There's nearly… 600,000 people who wake up every day, because of this port – 600,000 people across this country.

The Port de Montreal was founded in 1830 as a modest trading post for grain and other goods. It then grew at the same pace as Canada. Canadians built more ships, opened new shipping routes, and developed new foreign trade relations, notably with Great Britain. When Confederation happened a few decades later, over 500 ships were passing through this port every year. And thanks to sustained investments in the rail network, the widening of waterways, and the expansion of infrastructure, the port helped make Montréal a global trade hub, connecting Canada to all six continents. The port never stopped growing and transforming so that Quebecers and all Canadians could seize future opportunities. Today, we are continuing that legacy.

And we do it in a rapidly changing world: war in the Middle East, Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine, and the new trade regimes are all reshaping the global economy in real time. Some of these effects are immediate and profound, closing markets, disrupting supply chains, halting investments. And in the face of that, Canada is focused on what we can control. Building a stronger, more independent, more resilient economy, an economy built on the solid foundations of Canadian industries and workers, and bolstered by international trade with a diverse set of reliable partners.

Canada’s new government is diversifying its trade partnerships. We are undertaking an ambitious new mission to double our exports to countries other than the United States. We are acting quickly and we have already seen results. In less than a year, we have established over 20 trade and security partnerships on four continents. For example, we established a new, unprecedented agreement with China, which will help unlock over $7 billion in exports markets for Canadian workers and businesses. We are also currently negotiating new trade agreements with India, ASEAN countries, Thailand, the Philippines, and Mercosur. To exploit the full potential of these partnerships, Canada’s new government is acting quickly and ambitiously to build new mines and highways, as well as new trade and energy corridors. And these major infrastructure projects will help boost the production of critical minerals and clean energy, and strengthen Canada’s ability to move its goods to more markets at home and abroad. They will also create tens of thousands of new careers.

Now, for too long, the construction of major infrastructure projects has been stalled by arduous and inefficient approval processes. And just about a year ago, our government was elected to do things differently. Last June, we passed the One Canadian Economy Act to accelerate projects of national interest. Two months later, we created something called the Major Projects Office, which is a new single point of contact to get nation-building projects built faster. Just a month after that, we referred first group or first tranche of projects to that office, including the Contrecœur Container Terminal, because we understood its potential and recognized the imperative of building it fast. And fast is not something one associated with Contrecœur because, let’s be clear, the vision for this terminal expansion was first proposed in 1988, almost 40 years ago. Since then, it’s been subject to delay after delay, extensive and duplicative regulations and approval processes. So, last fall, working with the Government of Quebec, we stepped in to help get this project built.

Since referring the Contrecœur Terminal expansion project to the Major Projects Office, we have brought together partners from the private sector, the Government of Quebec, the Montreal Port Authority, and Indigenous partners to move this project forward. Together, we have streamlined the approval process, developed an effective funding approach, and obtained the necessary permits to get this project moving faster. To ensure that the project had the certainty it needed to be carried out, our government committed over $1 billion in funding through the Canada Infrastructure Bank. And it only took us months to do this, not decades. So, along with my colleagues, I am proud to announce, finally… I am proud to announce that we are finally launching this project today. Groundbreaking will take place this summer, and the new terminal should be operational by 2030. This, this is what is possible. There you are, that’s it. It’s almost done, it’s almost done. No, it’s the beginning, it’s just the start. This is what it’s possible to do when we have a common goal, and we work ambitiously and determinedly to achieve it. 

This container terminal expansion will transform the Port of Montreal. It will add modern, high-efficiency terminals, and – integrated fully with rail, road, and marine infrastructure, increasing capacity at the port by 60% – will open the door to new markets and a host of new trading opportunities for Canadian businesses, and real results for the Canadians, including the people of Contrecœur and the surrounding region. As Minister Boulet mentioned, creating approximately 4,000 high-paying jobs during construction and thousands more once it’s operational, generating over $750 million every year for our economy.

The Contrecœur terminal expansion is the first project referred to the Major Projects Office that we are implementing. This summer, we are attending the launch of construction on the first section of the Mackenzie Valley Highway in the Northwest Territories. This is close to my heart. This is a project that has been stalled my entire life – my entire life – but we are starting this summer. We have already referred 21 projects and strategies to the Major Projects Office: highways, mines, and trade corridors from one end of the country to the other, including several transformative projects in Quebec. For example, the Nouveau Monde Graphite’s Matawinie mine, new graphite mines in Saint-Michel-des-Saints, which will provide vital material for defence applications and battery supply chains. And the ALTO high-speed train, which will be the first high-speed train in Canada and will travel 1,000 kilometres, from Toronto to Trois-Rivières. To Trois-Rivières, it’s important for the future. So, these projects will create tens of thousands of careers with good salaries for Canadians and Quebecers, and create ties between our businesses and goods and new foreign markets. And all of this will inject billions of dollars into our economy every year. 

You know, for too long, when the federal government examined a new project, the immediate question was, why? Why? Today, our new government starts by asking how? How? How can we build it bigger? How can we build it faster? How can we build it now? Contrecœur is about more than the expansion of a port. It’s an example of a confident Canada, a country that’s building again, that’s 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 are again staying true to that legacy. We are building Quebec strong. We are building Canada strong. And this is just the beginning. Thank you. Thank you very much.