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Carney to join Smith in Fort McMurray for major infrastructure project announcement
The PMO confirms Carney will announce "the next step to accelerate a major infrastructure project" at 9 a.m. local time Thursday in Fort McMurray, joined by Alberta Premier Danielle Smith. Media widely speculate the project is the West Coast oil pipeline.
Why it matters
This is the clearest test yet of Carney's core promise: fast-track major project approvals, repair ties with Alberta and free Canadian oil from dependence on the U.S. market. And the federal deadline to notify whether the West Coast pipeline gets national-interest status under the Building Canada Act is Oct. 1. Appearing alongside Smith also signals Ottawa and Alberta moving closer on energy policy.
What we know — and what we don't
A Sept. 30 media advisory from the Prime Minister's Office says Carney will make the announcement at 9:00 a.m. local time (11:00 a.m. ET) Thursday, outlining "the next step to accelerate a major infrastructure project," with Smith at his side. The advisory does not name the project. Speculation centres on the proposed 1,250-km West Coast pipeline, which would carry more than one million barrels a day from the Bruderheim, Alta., area to a marine terminal at Roberts Bank, B.C.; the Alberta government is the proponent and the project would be held by Trans Mountain, the Alberta Petroleum Marketing Commission and Pembina Pipeline.
Key context
In a Tuesday interview with The Globe and Mail, Energy Minister Tim Hodgson said the federal Major Projects Office was still completing the steps for a national-interest designation and had "every reason to believe they will do the work and get it done on time," while refusing to prejudge the outcome. Federal documents have said Ottawa intended to give notice by Oct. 1 under the Building Canada Act. Alberta says construction could start as early as Sept. 1, 2027 if the designation lands; B.C. First Nations chiefs have written to Carney and Smith urging them to halt the project, and Indigenous consultation and approvals remain outstanding.
What to watch
The open-coverage announcement takes place at 9:00 a.m. local time; we will follow with the project name, funding details and the designation timeline.
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