Good afternoon, bonjour à tous.
It feels so good to be back in Manitoba - especially here in Winnipeg, a city that shaped who I am.
I would like to recognize and thank my colleagues in the room, including Minister Chartrand [Rebecca Chartrand, Minister of Northern and Arctic Affairs and Minister responsible for the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency] for her kind introduction and Terry Duguid [Member of Parliament, Winnipeg South], who is one of our city's biggest and best champions.
I would also like to acknowledge my provincial colleagues in the audience, Minister Sala [Adrien Sala, Manitoba Minister of Finance] and Minister Moses [Jamie Moses, Manitoba Minister of Business, Mining, Trade and Job Creation]. Your government has been a crucial member of Team Canada every step of the way, and I thank you for everything you have done to deliver for this province.
As many of you know, I was born in Winnipeg. As the son of a Royal Canadian Airforce officer, I grew up on bases criss-crossing the country. But there was a place that anchored my identity as our family moved from coast to coast. That place is Manitoba, where I lived seven times: six in Winnipeg and one in the Interlake on a small radar base at Gypsumville, Manitoba.
I went to Woodhaven Elementary School and Sturgeon Creek High School in St. James. I got my degree from the University of Manitoba and rented my first apartment on Pembina Highway in Fort Garry. I served much of my time in the Canadian Forces mustering out of Minto Armouries on St. Matthews Avenue and started my civilian career working as an accountant at Portage and Main. My fondest memories of life in Winnipeg are the Assiniboine Park Zoo - riding the train, going to see the polar bears - Rainbow Stage and, of course, weekends at the lake.
In short, I want you to know that a big part of my heart will always be here. As my mother use to say, "You can take the boy out of Winnipeg, but you can't take Winnipeg out of the boy."
In fact, while I am the Member of Parliament from the metro Toronto riding of Markham-Thornhill, please consider me your advocate and ally in Ottawa as well - in the House of Commons and around the Cabinet table.
Canada needs more Manitoba.
We are Canada's gateway to the west. The hard working and entrepreneurial people of this province have built a powerhouse of agriculture, manufacturing, transportation and natural resources. We have one of the continent's most reliable power grids. We have successfully welcomed wave upon wave of new Canadians to our country with open arms, earning the nickname "Friendly Manitoba."Just short of two years ago, we were the first province to elect a premier of First Nations descent, who has led the way on reconciliation not only here but across the country.
I will say it again: Canada needs more Manitoba.
These are all things that make me so very proud to be Manitoban. They are our advantage, and we should not be shy about saying so - especially in the moment we find ourselves in today.
Now, I want to be honest about this moment, because we Manitobans like to address things head on.
As the Prime Minister said this week, what is happening in the global economy is not a transition: it's a rupture. That's why, to most of us, the world feels more volatile than it has in generations and more uncertain than most of us expected, especially prior to the U.S. presidential elections late last year. That change unleashed a trade war upon us, one that we didn't ask for, but one we must win.
This is reshaping global supply chains, prolonging post-pandemic economic aftershocks and stoking destabilizing geopolitical conflicts - something I don't need to remind Ukrainian Manitobans about.
We also face a climate crisis that his administration is now denying, a crisis threatening our communities, forests and way of life. At the same time, his tariffs undermine the vibrancy of our towns, cities and small businesses across the country and right here in Manitoba.
I want to be clear that this rupture is not theoretical. It is making life in Canada more expensive, and those economic impacts are felt by Canadians on every trip to the grocery store, in every energy bill and on every rent or mortgage payment day.
At a time like this, Canadians want - and deserve - more than to simply hope for the best. From their federal government, they want stability, fiscal responsibility and reliable public services.
These are things we can control, right here at home, no matter what other nations do. So our new government's mission is clear: to be a beacon of stability, delivering on the mandate upon which Canadians elected us by being united, focused, decisive and results-oriented.
We will empower Canadians by building Canada's economic strength and creating opportunities that help Canadians not only get through this crisis but get ahead for the long term.
I am honoured to have been asked to be your Minister of Energy and Natural Resources. I understand what Canadians are asking from me and our new government. They are asking us to build and retool Canada to make it stronger, more resilient, more affordable and safer for all Canadians. That is why we need to fundamentally change the way we do things rather than plaster on band-aid solutions. And that is why our mission to make Canada an energy superpower is not just run-of-the-mill economic policy but a true nation-building imperative.
In my mind, the purpose of becoming an energy superpower that responsibly extracts our resources - in partnership with Indigenous Peoples - and gets them to domestic consumers and global markets is very clear: It's so we can keep Canadians more secure and sovereign and generate the money our government needs to affordably provide the services Canadians expect.
First, securing a sovereign Canada.
Being an energy superpower means keeping Canadians safer by prioritizing energy security. For too long, we have relied on other countries for the energy and minerals that power our factories, keep our lights on and serve as the building blocks of technology. Based on how countries around the world are using energy and critical minerals as tools of coercion, it's clear that that reliance is a significant vulnerability.
We have massive natural endowments right here at home. We must leverage them for our own security, so we never again have to worry what happens if a pipeline is cut off, a supply chain is manipulated or a ship carrying essential goods and resources is re-routed from a Canadian port.
This is what it means for us to control what we can, and to give ourselves more than anyone else can take away: strategically using our natural resources so Canada is a country that shapes its own destiny - confident and capable with what is within our own borders.
Secondly, on the topic of affordability. Selling our resources will generate federal and provincial revenues for Canada. At a time when government budgets are stretched too thin, these revenues can be used for the benefit of everyday Canadians across this country in a few ways:
- By ensuring our social safety net is well funded and remains sustainable as we all age, and for our children to rely on. This means governments providing accessible, high-quality health care; education; public safety; welfare; disability support; pensions; and employment insurance.
- And, by strengthening our economy overall - a rising tide that lifts all boats. This is not just for today, but so the next generation of Canadians can feel more secure and prosperous than the generation before them.
As a Canadian, it's your right to have control over your own paycheque. That means you should not feel like costs are so high that you have no choice but to spend your hard-earned dollars on the basic necessities, with nothing left over. We intend to use our energy, natural resources and other export commodities to re-energize our economy in a way that ensures every Canadian feels the positive impact.
Earlier today, we delivered a tangible example of giving back Canadians that pocketbook agency by announcing the Canada Greener Homes Affordability Program, which will provide no-cost home retrofits - like insulation, air sealing, heat pumps and solar panels - to low- and median-income Canadians. This is a national program, but, excitingly, Manitobans will be the first Canadians to access it, due to the fantastic collaboration of your provincial government allowing people in this province to save hundreds of dollars and reduce their carbon footprint.
Put simply, as Minister of Energy, I want Canadians to worry about energy bills less. But on top of savings, this program will stimulate local investment, supporting contractors, suppliers and manufacturers. It's a signal that Canada is serious about building the low-carbon economy from the ground up.
In many ways, I trace the reason I am so singularly focused on making Canada an energy superpower right back here to Manitoba, where I first saw the difference Canadian energy can make in people's real lives.
I went to a vocational high school in Winnipeg, and many classmates did not go to university. One of my closest friends spent 25 years on oil rigs in Alberta, as many Prairies kids do. That job bought them a home and supported their family.
That's how it should be, and that's the Canada we must preserve: where hard work pays off, and you can get a good job that opens doors, builds assets and provides for a comfortable life, regardless of your degree.
I know most of this audience works in business and commerce, so this is something you understand well: Energy jobs are not just paycheques. By developing our resources, we transform our natural capital into human capital, investing in a productive workforce, economic stability and Canada's comparative advantage.
That's why our government's agenda is not just about boardrooms in Toronto or Ottawa. It's about job sites in communities from Snow Lake to Portage la Prairie, across the Prairies and beyond, where farmers, miners and energy workers power our economy and our exports every day.
The most significant way in which we are doing that is through the Building Canada Act, the Major Projects Office and projects of national interest.
We used to build big things in this country, and we used to build them quickly. Today, the construction of major infrastructure is too often stalled by inefficient approval processes that have curbed investment by 40 percent over the past two decades, suppressing business investment growth by nine percent.
That ends now.
As many of you are likely aware, yesterday, we announced the first tranche of projects we are referring to the Major Projects Office to be shepherded across the finish line.
These projects have undertaken extensive consultation with Indigenous Peoples, worked with provincial and territorial governments and local authorities, and already meet many of the necessary regulatory standards.
The Major Projects Office will help these proponents achieve any remaining regulatory and permitting approvals, secure the necessary financing and recommend to the federal government the best course to complete each project approval quickly
Projects ultimately designated as in the national interest will turbo-charge and connect our regional economies to one another, and our economy to the world; diversify our products and markets; and create hundreds of thousands of high-paying careers. Importantly, they will also be subject to our new, comprehensive Buy Canadian policy - prioritizing projects that are built with Canadian steel, lumber and aluminum and by Canadian engineers and trades people, so we are our own best customer.
I would like to take a moment to speak to each of these projects:
LNG Canada Phase 2 has the enormous potential to double LNG Canada's production of liquefied natural gas, making it the second-largest facility of its kind in the world.
This project will secure GDP growth and significant private sector investment while supporting thousands of construction jobs and local economic growth in Kitimat and across the natural gas supply chain. Importantly, the project will also diversify our trading partners and meet increasing global demand for secure, low-carbon energy with Canadian LNG, contributing to worldwide energy security by increasing the supply of available natural gas for Asian and European partners.
Leveraging Canada's sustainable advantage, emissions are projected to be 35 percent lower than the world's best-performing LNG facilities and 60 percent lower than the global average - something Canadians should be intensely proud of.
Second, the Darlington New Nuclear Project will make Canada the first G7 country to have an operational small modular reactor, building on our decades-long nuclear energy leadership to accelerate the commercialization of a key technology that would support Canadian and global clean energy needs while driving $500 million annually into Ontario's nuclear supply chain.
Once complete, Darlington's first of four planned SMR units will provide reliable, affordable, clean power to 300,000 homes - equal to a city the size of Winnipeg - and create 18,000 construction jobs. At its full potential, Darlington's SMRs will provide enough electricity to reliably and safely power about 1.2 million homes - more than the total number of households in Edmonton and Calgary combined.
This project has the potential to position Canada as a global leader in the deployment of SMR technology for use across the country and worldwide - a massive first-mover advantage.
Third, the Contrecœur Terminal Container Project would further develop the Port of Montreal, the largest container port in Eastern Canada, which supports over $90 billion in Canadian economic activity.
By expanding capacity by about 40 percent, equivalent to 1.15 million containers, this project will give Eastern Canada the trade infrastructure it needs to keep goods moving, meet growing demand and diversify trade routes.
It will strengthen supply chains along the world's largest shipping lines, create thousands of jobs and generate approximately $140 million annually in local and national economic benefits across Quebec and Canada.
Next is the Foran Copper Mine. Situated in one of Canada's richest mineral belts and working in close collaboration with the Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation, this project will mine copper and zinc to strengthen Canada's position as a global supplier of critical minerals for clean energy, advanced manufacturing and modern infrastructure.
It will create 400 jobs and boost local economies in Saskatchewan and Quebec where the copper will be smelted, and is expected to be the first net-zero copper project in Canada - showing that we can mine responsibly better here than anywhere in the world.
Finally, in B.C., the expansion of the Red Chris Copper and Gold Mine will increase Canada's annual copper production by over 15 percent, employ 1,500 construction workers and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by over 70 percent when operational. Working in close collaboration with the Tahltan Nation, it is an important step in reconciliation and in further developing the potential of the region while strengthening Canada's role as a reliable supplier of copper and other resources essential for global manufacturing and clean energy.
Additionally, we have tasked the Office to begin close consideration of the proposed new Northwest Critical Conservation Corridor, which - in partnership with Indigenous Peoples - has the prospect of creating a new conservation area the size of Greece. This initiative also presents opportunities for critical minerals development and clean power transmission, including potential interties to the Yukon and Alberta.
Together, these projects represent private investments of more than $60 billion in our economy and will create thousands of high-paying careers for Canadians, in addition to providing economic benefits for Indigenous communities and contributing to cleaner growth.
This process is advancing quickly, but - crucially - it goes hand-in-hand with our commitments to Indigenous reconciliation and protecting the environment. It is regulatory reform with economic urgency but done strategically, so we do things right and responsibly the first time. That is how we build Canada's future.
And these projects are just the beginning. By the time the Blue Bombers clinch the Grey Cup, we'll be announcing a second tranche of projects.
Moreover, in addition to those five projects, our government also believes that there are several strategies that could be truly transformative for this country that are at an earlier stage and require further development. These projects will be assigned business-development SWAT teams inside the Major Projects Office, focused on working with proponents to turn big ideas into economic realities that achieve growth, security diversification of markets and reconciliation. I'll devote a few minutes to each of these as well.
First, the Major Projects Office will dedicate itself to the development of regulations, financing, structure, and value chains to accelerate Canada's production and processing of highly strategic critical minerals. We will look at projects from the first mile to the last, so we can build secure, reliable, home-grown supply chains.
Second, a team inside the MPO will examine how to set the course for long-term wind resource development in the Atlantic provinces. The Wind West Atlantic Energy project could transform Atlantic Canada's electricity supply and create enormous opportunities for new industries and export markets via interties, transmission cables and hydroelectricity across all four Atlantic provinces, turning Atlantic Canada into a clean energy superpower.
Third is what we are calling "Pathways Plus": an Alberta carbon capture, utilization and storage project that will result in massive emissions reductions equivalent to taking 90 percent of all cars off the road in Alberta. It's paired with additional energy infrastructure, like a possible new pipeline, that will support a strong conventional energy sector with best-in-class emissions-intensity reductions and provide opportunities for Indigenous partnership.
Ultimately, we need infrastructure that gets our energy to tidewater and to trusted allies - diversifying beyond the U.S. Simultaneously, we need carbon capture - along with methane reduction and other technologies - to ensure Canadian oil and gas is not only produced responsibly but is the most competitive in the world.
In order to push forward on new corridors that connect our economy, enhance our security and build transportation networks, we are also building a team inside the Office to look at the Arctic Economic and Security Corridor - visionary new port and all-weather road infrastructure that would better connect promising mineral projects and defence and security potential to the rest of Canada, forming critical links from port to port to port and fortifying our Arctic sovereignty and security.
The possibilities here for our most remote region are massive. When I was with the Prime Minister in Nunavut in July, it was clear that excitement exists for this project and that Inuit are taking a leadership role to leverage the possibilities in the North not only for local communities but for all of Canada.
Further, we have asked the Major Projects Office to work to accelerate engineering, regulatory, and permitting work to enable construction of the Alto high-speed rail project to start within five years.
This will be Canada's first high-speed railway, spanning approximately 1,000 kilometres from Toronto to Quebec City. It will cut travel times in half for close to half of Canada's population that lives on the route; generate 51,000 jobs during construction; and inject up to $35 billion into our GDP - with a target of 25 million tonnes in emissions savings.
Five years is an ambitious timeline given the scope of the project - but it's exactly the kind of urgency this government is bringing to the project of building Canada.
Further, we will task the Major Projects Office with assisting in the development of a Canadian Sovereign Cloud that would build the computing capacity and data centres needed to underpin our competitiveness and protect our security. This will give Canada independent control over advanced computing power while reinforcing our leadership in AI and quantum.
You may have noticed that for us Manitobans, I've saved the best for last: the expansion of the Port of Churchill - a gateway not just to the Arctic, but to our economic sovereignty, and a project that is not just a port, but part of Premier Kinew's larger vision to unlock an Indigenous-owned energy corridor in Manitoba.
Imagine a winter-resilient, expanded Churchill port where prairie grain, potash, critical minerals and maybe even LNG flows to the world. Where Indigenous communities are not just project partners, but developers as part of Manitoba's new Crown-Indigenous Corporation. Where the port links with other infrastructure in a trade corridor that secures supply chains, asserts Arctic sovereignty and anchors Manitoba's role in continental commerce.
This is a truly transformative idea. With proposals for port and rail line upgrades, an energy corridor and marine ice-breaking capability, it would offer an alternative to west- and east-coast routes; reduce Canada's reliance on a single energy corridor; and generate more than $1 billion annually in economic activity. It will be done with Indigenous Peoples not just as partners but as leaders - a new, better way of building where Manitoba can, and will, lead the way.
This is nation building. And as a Manitoban, I am proud - and determined - to see this through.
Friends, I think it is abundantly clear that Canada stands at an inflection point. We need to act fast to protect what is important - our industry, our workers, our values - and retool what needs changing. And with yesterday's announcement about Projects of National Interest; today's opening of the Greener Homes Affordability Program; and the actions we are taking to support sectors affected by tariffs, build national defence and expand trading partners, we are doing just that.
We have the resources, the people and the momentum to turn uncertainty into opportunity.
But turning those advantages into investment, jobs and stability requires unity, focus and courage. Those are values Manitoba taught me. So I can be confident that - with the help of this province and those of you in this room - we will make Canada a place where Canadians feel prosperous and secure, and we will become the energy superpower we are destined to be.
Thank you.
