Launch of the Major Projects Office: Statement from the Public Policy Forum

OTTAWA, ON, Aug. 29, 2025 — It’s a big day for the future of building big things in this country with today’s announcement of the federal government’s new Major Projects Office (MPO).

We are pleased its mandate extends beyond accelerating regulatory approvals to include structuring and coordinating public and private sector financing and ensuring federal funding programs are aligned to deliver value for taxpayers.

Both measures reflect key recommendations in the Public Policy Forum’s Build Big Things report, notably Play #3 (Launch a Strategic Investment Office) and Play #4 (Get the biggest bang for taxpayer financing).

The MPO could be further strengthened by also coordinating enabling infrastructure and Indigenous economic participation functions, bringing greater coherence and a truly system-wide approach to fast-tracking projects.

The Office is a strong first step toward that vision, but its mandate must expand. PPF has been calling for the creation of what we termed a strategic investment office — one place to bring together financing, regulatory, enabling infrastructure and Indigenous consultation functions to promote coherence and a system-wide approach to funding and policy.

Success will depend on how government organizes itself. The Prime Minister is at the top of the ticket in terms of oversight. Further accountability steps can include a cabinet committee to ensure focus and discipline, regular First Ministers’ meetings and the establishment of a whole-of-government Deputy Ministers’ committee.

True partnerships — among federal and provincial governments, Indigenous rights holders and the private sector — are needed for Canada to deliver at the scale required.

Financial capacity must be at the core of the mandate, with the ability to coordinate public and private financing and the right skillsets to manage deal flow. Every major project deserves a dedicated team with the combined financial, regulatory, Indigenous and project planning expertise to see it through.

As PPF’s Yiota Kokkinos and Jay Khosla wrote in The Globe and Mail this week: “A central hub to fast-track environmental assessments and permits could bring much-needed coherence to a fragmented regulatory landscape, but it risks stumbling if it focuses only on approvals.”

By unlocking investment, Canada can turn its natural and strategic advantages into lasting economic prosperity.

Stay tuned for more from PPF’s Build Big Things team as we dig into Canada’s oil and LNG export advantage, nuclear, mining and critical minerals, and attracting investment in upcoming reports.

About PPF

The Public Policy Forum is a non-profit, non-partisan think tank that builds bridges among diverse participants in the policymaking process, feeding fresh ideas into policy discussions. We believe good policy is critical to making a better Canada — a country that is cohesive, prosperous and secure. Our members include a broad base of private, public, non-profit and Indigenous organizations who share insight on policy challenges and developments.

For more information, please contact:

Alison Uncles

Vice President, PPF Media and Communications

Public Policy Forum

auncles@ppforum.flywheelstaging.com