Thank you very much.

The most important principle here, and what we're trying to achieve, is to bring multiple decision points of several sorts of government departments in a streamlined way for proponents so we could advance projects. That still means there will be interaction with Environment Canada, with Fisheries and with Transport, but the major projects office would not recreate the good work that is happening in the departments.

It would bring together that service to proponents, working with the indigenous advisory committee and working with the minister and indigenous peoples across the country on the consultation element. Really, our system can be difficult to navigate. Through the major federal projects office, when a project is designated of “national interest”, we will work with all of the components of the system to bring people together in a streamlined way. That will allow for projects to meet a quicker time frame, and it gives certainty to a proponent at the front end of a project, which can help in a lot of ways.

Minister LeBlanc referenced the fact that we've been approached by indigenous proponents who say: “If we are listed under this legislation, we may attract more investment. It may allow our project to proceed.” There have been a lot of questions around meeting that test of national interest. If a project is supported by an indigenous community, or an indigenous proponent, or by an equity stake, or if it is supported by a land claims organization and a territorial government, then you can start seeing how it would start hitting the mark of national interest: Arctic sovereignty and trade diversification through, potentially, Grays Bay Port.

These are examples of how we will assess. The major federal projects office will look at those project descriptions that come in, will assess their value and then will make recommendations to the minister, who will then consult his cabinet colleagues and provincial and territorial governments.

I would echo Minister Freeland's comment that there is a lot of unity around the types of projects that come in. That may mean that provincial and territorial governments may need to work together in proposing projects, but I think the major federal projects office's objective is to streamline the system and give good advice to government on projects of national interest.

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