The federal government has promised “one project, one review” to stop regulatory duplication between Ottawa and the provinces. A new article from the Canada West Foundation examines whether these co-operation agreements are actually delivering on faster approvals.
For Alberta’s construction industry, approval timelines directly impact our ability to put skilled workers to work on the projects Canada needs. When regulatory processes drag, it creates uncertainty that affects workforce planning and our members’ ability to build the infrastructure that strengthens our economy.
What are co-operation agreements?
Co-operation agreements streamline the process between the federal government and provinces by letting the federal government either step out of the review process early if a project doesn’t affect federal areas, accept a province’s review instead of doing its own, or work with the province on one shared assessment. Before this push, only B.C. had a co-operation agreement. Now Ontario and New Brunswick have signed on, and several more provinces including Alberta are negotiating.
The Results So Far
Only two projects have been fully approved through federal assessment since 2019 – both LNG projects in B.C. One took 3.5 years and the other took 2 years. While this represents improvement over the previous system, both timelines exceeded the federal government’s two-year target. For an industry ready to build, these delays mean lost opportunities.
Cross-Provincial Projects
These bilateral agreements work for projects within one province, but pipelines or transmission lines crossing borders still lack clear processes. For Alberta, this is critical. The pipeline to the west coast and transmission lines connecting Alberta, B.C. and Saskatchewan represent opportunities to put thousands of skilled tradespeople to work, but the current structure doesn’t provide the certainty our members need to plan and commit resources.
Political Approvals Still Required
Even after technical reviews are complete, projects need ministerial sign-off from both governments. These political approvals can extend timelines beyond the technical assessment period, adding further uncertainty to project schedules.
What This Means for Alberta’s Construction Industry
Co-operation agreements are a step forward, but they’re not yet delivering the results our industry and our workers need. Major construction opportunities are ready to move forward. What’s missing is a regulatory system that can keep pace with our industry’s ability to build.
CLRA continues to advocate for regulatory processes that work for our employers and workers. This means hitting the two-year timeline, creating clear pathways for cross-provincial projects and reducing delays once technical requirements are met. Alberta has the workforce, the expertise and the commitment to build what Canada needs. Now we need the regulatory certainty to put our people to work.
