In an increasingly uncertain world, Canada is building and strengthening our economy here at home. Canada has what the world wants, and it's more important than ever to work together to take advantage of that opportunity.
For more than a century, Alberta's business leaders have led, grown, and delivered opportunity within Canada. Canada is building big again, and Albertans have a central role to play in building a stronger economy for all.
Today, the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, President of the King's Privy Council for Canada and Minister responsible for Canada-U.S. Trade, Intergovernmental Affairs, Internal Trade and One Canadian Economy, completed a productive three-day tour in Alberta, where he met with trade, industry and business leaders in Fort McMurray, Red Deer and Edmonton, as well as the with the Mayor of Red Deer.
During his visit, the Minister heard directly from Alberta business, civic, and municipal leaders, and discussed the importance of Alberta's economic success to the whole country. He reaffirmed Canada's commitment to the recently announced implementation agreement for the Canada-Alberta Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). The Minister discussed how the MOU will unlock Alberta's vast natural resources and solidify Canada's position as a world leader in clean and conventional energy.
The Minister also underscored the importance of advancing major projects and attracting investment to drive Canada's long-term growth and pointed to the Government of Canada's efforts to that effect. He highlighted the initiation of the process towards the potential listing of three projects under the Building Canada Act and the creation of the Major Projects Office (MPO) to create a more efficient regulatory environment and give proponents and investors the certainty they need to invest and build in Canada. The MPO is advancing 23 nation-building projects and strategies, which support more than 155,000 jobs and represent over $135 billion in new investment - including in Alberta. The Minister noted Alberta's leadership and partnership in this space, pointing to the recent signing of the Cooperation Agreement on Environmental and Impact Assessment, which establishes a "one project, one review" approach to further these goals.
Getting resources to market requires governments to work together to diversify both domestic and international trade. During his trip, the Minister met with three chambers of commerce to discuss continued efforts to eliminate interprovincial barriers to trade and labour mobility. He noted ongoing government collaboration to remove red tape and barriers to the movement of goods, services and skilled workers across Canada. In particular, he highlighted the recently established Domestic Trade Commissioners Network to support businesses and workers access new markets in other parts of the country.
In addition, the Minister emphasized the importance of the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) in maintaining a strong and predictable trading relationship with the United States and Mexico. He noted that preserving an integrated North American market is critical to supporting jobs, investment, and long-term prosperity on both sides of the border, particularly for export-oriented sectors such as energy, manufacturing, and agriculture.
