Graphite extraction at Nouveau Monde Graphite’s mining site in Quebec’s Matawinie region.JULIEN PERRON GAGNE PHOTOGRAPHE/Supplied
The federal government’s Major Projects Office will add the planned North Coast Transmission Line in British Columbia and an expansion of a Nouveau Monde Graphite NOU-T mine in Quebec to its list of nation-building developments, Prime Minister Mark Carney is expected to announce on Thursday in northern B.C., a source has told The Globe and Mail.
The Globe is not identifying the source because they were not authorized to disclose the details publicly.
Mr. Carney told reporters earlier this week he would be announcing the second round of nation-building projects in Prince Rupert, an important northern B.C. port city that is seen by many people as a crucial node for diversifying overseas trade. However, the location for the Prime Minister’s event has now been changed to Terrace.
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The B.C. government has committed to building the $6-billion hydroelectric transmission line from Prince George to Terrace, with shovels in the ground in 2026. It has asked the federal government to list the NCTL with the Major Projects Office to help fast-track the line, which is designed to secure new private-sector investments, including a string of critical-mineral mines, for the sparsely developed northwest corner of the province.
Counting the NCTL and the graphite mine, Mr. Carney is now expected to add half a dozen mining and energy developments to the major projects list on Thursday, sources have told The Globe. The other projects include the Ksi Lisims liquefied natural gas project in B.C., Ontario’s Crawford nickel project, New Brunswick’s Sisson mine and a hydroelectric project in Iqaluit. The sources added that the list is subject to change.
The Major Projects Office was set up in the summer to speed along infrastructure and resource development proposals, a centrepiece of Mr. Carney’s efforts to deliver on his campaign promise to reduce Canada’s economic reliance on the United States amid President Donald Trump’s trade war.
Editor’s note: A previous version of this article included a photo of a Northern Graphite Corp. mine in Lac-des-Îles, Que., which is not among the nation-building developments Prime Minister Mark Carney is expected to announce for MPO consideration on Nov. 13. The article has been updated with an image of a mine operated by Nouveau Monde Graphite Inc., which is expected to be on the list.