PRIME Minister Mark Carney on Thursday announced the second tranche of projects to build Canada’s economy.

Carney referred the Northwest Critical Conservation Corridor in Northwest British Columbia and the Yukon to the Major Projects Office (MPO). This Corridor sits atop vast deposits of critical minerals and has the potential to unlock world-class resources while creating a conservation area the size of Greece.

Referring this Corridor to the MPO ensures it can realise its extraordinary potential for critical minerals development and clean power transmission, while upholding Indigenous rights and supporting Indigenous project leadership.

This Corridor will fundamentally transform the lives of thousands of Canadians, position Canada as a global leader in critical minerals, and drive prosperity across the country. Realising this potential will require a coordinated effort with provincial and Indigenous partners to build transmission lines, upgrade highways, install fibre and cell towers, and invest in communities, ports, and railway lines. Infrastructure investments under this strategy also link clean electricity to Canada’s ability to export LNG. Extending transmission to the Yukon can also power the North and has the potential to unlock additional resources.

In addition to the referral of the Red Chris Mine expansion in September, two further projects in this region being referred to the MPO include:

• North Coast Transmission Line (NCTL) – Northwest British Columbia: This project is a foundation for a cleaner, stronger, and better-connected Canadian economy. This project will tie the Northwest Critical Conservation Corridor together, delivering low-cost, clean electricity, and bolstered telecommunications to local communities along the West Coast. To support the early stages of the NCTL project, the Canada Infrastructure Bank (CIB) announced a loan of $139.5 million to B.C. Hydro. By twinning major transmission lines, the NCTL will enable transformative new industrial projects – including the Ksi Lisims LNG facility and critical minerals developments in the Golden Triangle – while reducing emissions by up to three million tonnes annually. This project, once operational, will create thousands of direct full-time careers, generate millions in annual public revenues, and anchor a clean-energy industrial corridor for generations to come. The proposed Yukon-B.C. Grid Connect aspect of the project will connect the Yukon’s isolated electrical grid to the Canadian grid through B.C., increasing the Yukon’s energy security and providing clean power to communities in Canada’s Northwest corridor.
• Ksi Lisims LNG – Pearse Island, British Columbia: This project will transform Canada’s energy future. Led by the Nisga’a Nation, Ksi Lisims LNG will become Canada’s second-largest LNG facility and one of the world’s lowest-emission LNG operations once fully electrified, with emissions 94% below the global average. The project is expected to attract nearly $30 billion in investment, create thousands of skilled careers, and strengthen Canada’s position as a global LNG exporter. The project referral also includes the 800-kilometre Prince Rupert Gas Transmission Project to supply feed gas for liquefaction, and a 95-kilometre electrical transmission line to supply electricity to the facility. By ensuring that projects like LNG Canada 2 (referred to the MPO in September) and Ksi Lisims LNG get built, we can more than double Canada’s LNG production.

Global demand for critical minerals is escalating. Earlier this month, as part of the Government of Canada’s Critical Minerals Strategy, the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Tim Hodgson, alongside G7 partners, announced 26 new investments, partnerships, and other measures to unlock $6.4 billion in critical minerals projects to accelerate development and position Canada as a secure supplier of choice in the global supply chain.

To build on this momentum, there are three new critical minerals projects now being referred to the MPO:

• Canada Nickel’s Crawford Project– Timmins, Ontario: This project will serve as an anchor for Canada’s global leadership in clean industrial materials. Located in the world’s second-largest nickel reserve, the Crawford Project will produce high-quality, low-carbon nickel essential for batteries and green steel. With projected emissions 90% below the global average and the potential for a net-negative carbon footprint, it represents a model for the future of responsible mining. The project will attract $5 billion in investment and create thousands of new careers, securing Canada’s place at the forefront of the clean economy.
• Nouveau Monde Graphite’s Matawinie Mine – Saint‑Michel‑des‑Saints, Québec: This open-pit graphite mine will provide important inputs for defence applications and battery supply chains. It will integrate with the planned Bécancour Battery Material Plant. The project will strengthen Canadian supply resilience and help accelerate the clean transition. It will create over one thousand new careers and draw $1.8 billion in investment.
• Northcliff Resources’ Sisson Mine – Sisson Brook, New Brunswick: The Sisson Mine will produce tungsten – a critical mineral essential for high-strength steel production, defence, and industrial applications. Global tungsten markets are highly concentrated, and this project has the potential to make Canada a secure supplier for domestic and allied industries. It will position Canada as a reliable supplier of critical minerals to domestic and international partners, while creating hundreds of new careers.

Unlocking these resources will draw in hundreds of billions of dollars in new investment and create thousands of high-paying careers for miners, carpenters, and engineers across the country – in areas like the Ring of Fire, Fosse du Labrador, and in Northern B.C. These projects across the country will also unlock partnership and equity ownership opportunities for local First Nation communities and provide a secure supply of critical minerals for Canada and its allies.

Finally, to ensure the northern communities have the clean power and infrastructure to enable economic development, the government is referring the following project to the MPO:

• Iqaluit Nukkiksautiit Hydro Project – Iqaluit, Nunavut: This project is a breakthrough for Arctic sovereignty and sustainability. It will become Nunavut’s first 100% Inuit-owned hydro energy project, a milestone in Indigenous leadership and clean energy innovation. By replacing Iqaluit’s reliance on 15 million litres of imported diesel each year, this project will deliver affordable, reliable, and emissions-free power to the Arctic. It will build community resilience, fuel a cleaner northern economy, and create new construction and operation jobs.

Carney said that with Budget 2025, the government is mobilising over one trillion dollars in investments over the next five years. These first and second tranches of projects – representing more than $116 billion in investments – will unlock the full potential of the nation and create tens of thousands of new careers, from the miners, welders, and engineers who will power these projects, to the teachers, contractors, and business owners who will serve new and revitalised communities.