Thanks to the new Major Projects Office (MPO), foreign — and particularly European — companies now have a unique window of opportunity to establish a presence, innovate, and integrate into Canadian supply chains.
Since 2024, Canada has been accelerating its economic transformation. Under the leadership of Mark Carney, the country has adopted an ambitious industrial policy focused on energy sovereignty, green infrastructure renewal, critical minerals, and industrial decarbonization.
Everything points toward one clear goal: attract major projects and deliver them quickly.
To make that happen, Ottawa created a new tool: the Major Projects Office (MPO).
Based in Calgary and led by Dawn Farrell, the MPO was designed as a national project accelerator. It serves as a federal one-stop shop to coordinate:
Its mission: cut approval timelines to under 24 months, for projects that often remain stalled for years.
The political objective is clear: Position Canada as the North American hub for clean energy, strategic resources, and future-proof infrastructure.
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Project
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Sector
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Province
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Comment
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Port of Contrecœur
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Green logistics
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Quebec
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St. Lawrence River capacity relief
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LNG Canada – Phase 2
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Energy (LNG)
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British Columbia
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Exports to Asia
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Kuugaluk
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Indigenous hydropower
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Nunavut
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$500M, 100% Inuit-owned
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Crawford Nickel
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Critical minerals
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Ontario
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Large-scale battery-grade nickel
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Ksi Lisims LNG
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Floating LNG
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B.C.
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Led by Nisga’a Nation
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Darlington SMRs
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Nuclear
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Ontario
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4 SMRs, $2B
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Arctic Corridor
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Transport & defense
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Northern Canada
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900 km strategic highway
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Mackenzie Valley Highway (study)
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Arctic logistics
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Northwest Territories
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$1.65B, mining and supply chain focus
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Beyond fast-tracking approvals, the MPO is a central part of Canada’s broader economic strategy to:
This is reinforced by a shift toward economic sovereignty, clearly visible in public procurement policy.
$214M over 5 years for MPO operations (Budget 2025)
Related funds include:
Since 2023, Ontario’s Procurement Restriction Policy has limited access to provincial public contracts for certain U.S.-based firms.This policy was introduced in response to U.S. protectionist measures like the Buy American Act.
In practice, this means many Ontario-funded infrastructure contracts exclude U.S. suppliers or apply a 25% evaluation penalty to their bids. European firms are not typically affected, giving them a relative edge in Ontario’s public tenders.
The Quebec government applies a temporary differentiated treatment toward U.S. suppliers, often applying a 25% penalty on bids from American firms in response to a lack of reciprocal access.
Not at all. Canadian public and private buyers are actively seeking international expertise, especially from Europe — in areas like:
The preferred model: Canadian–international consortiums, where foreign firms contribute high-value expertise, technology, or capital, while delivering local economic benefits.
Several regional industrial hubs are actively forming — in Bécancour, Saguenay, Northern Ontario, and British Columbia.It’s the right moment to enter, especially through partnerships with Canadian firms.
A notable signal: the 2025 bilateral agreement between Canada and Germany on critical minerals.
This deal:
Note:
In line with its broader push for openness and diversified partnerships, Canada signed an agreement in 2025 with the European Union in the defense sector, granting it access to the EU’s SAFE procurement program (€150 billion), while reciprocally opening parts of its own public defense markets to European companies.
This reflects a broader trend: Canada is actively seeking reliable, strategic foreign partners — not only for civil projects (infrastructure, energy, critical minerals), but also in sovereign domains such as cybersecurity, military equipment, and defense logistics.
The opportunity is clear. The political framework is in place. But navigating Canadian regulations, localization rules, and institutional expectations requires local expertise.
Adexia helps European and international companies position themselves on Canada’s major projects, whether you need to:
Our strength: a deep understanding of political, economic, and territorial dynamics — and the ability to connect your strategic ambitions with Canada’s operational reality. You bring the vision. We’ll help make it happen in Canada.
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