Dawn Farrell, who was the CEO of Trans Mountain before transitioning to board chair in 2024, oversaw the completion of the Tran Mountain pipeline.Todd Korol/The Globe and Mail
Prime Minister Mark Carney has tapped Dawn Farrell, a veteran energy industry executive and former head of Trans Mountain, to lead a new office responsible for fast-tracking infrastructure projects of national interest.
The prime minister’s office announced in a news release on Friday that Ms. Farrell, who oversaw the completion of the Trans Mountain pipeline, will serve as the chief executive officer of the Major Projects Office, which will be headquartered in Calgary.
The office’s mandate is to “serve as a single point of contact” to get projects built faster, according to the release.
“It will do so in two principal ways. First, by streamlining and accelerating regulatory approval processes. Second, by helping to structure and co-ordinate financing of these projects as needed,” the prime minister’s office said.
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Ms. Farrell’s appointment has been well-received by members of the business community, who praise her breadth of experience in the energy sector and track record for getting difficult projects completed.
Ms. Farrell was the president and chief executive officer of Trans Mountain, before transitioning to board chair in 2024. She’s held a number of other executive positions in the energy sector, including at TransAlta.
“She is someone who has proven to be able to navigate some very challenging issues and projects, and the Trans Mountain project stands as a testament to her fortitude,” said Deborah Yedlin, president of the Calgary Chamber of Commerce.
Goldy Hyder, CEO of the Business Council of Canada described Ms. Farrell as a “no-nonsense” kind of leader who gets the job done.
“Our business community (and) Canadians more broadly should be appreciating that someone of this calibre, capability and experience is leaning in to serve the public at a time where it’s most needed,” he said.
Ms. Yedlin said opening the office in Calgary also sends “a signal that the government recognizes the importance of resource development of the energy sector and Canada’s economic future.”
Ms. Farrell CEO forged her reputation as a decisive leader by guiding power producer TransAlta Ltd. through a financial crisis triggered by the Alberta government’s 2015 decision to rapidly phase out coal-fuelled power plants.
A year after Ms. Farrell retired from TransAlta, where she spent 35 years, former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau recruited the then 61-year-old in 2021 to finish construction on the expansion of the government-owned Trans Mountain Corp. pipeline.
At the time, the $34-billion project was massively over budget, largely due to COVID-19 pandemic-related costs. Ms. Farrell got the job done, working closely with Indigenous groups to win acceptance of a pipeline that crossed numerous First Nations and trench digging that unearthed 80,000 artifacts.
Ms. Farrell, a Calgary native, has strong ties to both Indigenous leaders and the tight-knit group of engineers and financiers who run the oil patch. She served for two years as a director of the country’s largest energy producer, Canadian Natural Resources Ltd., alongside billionaire executive chair Murray Edwards.
Mr. Carney vowed during the federal election campaign to get the country back in the business of building big things. He promised his government would approve major resource and infrastructure projects of national interest in two years, and earmark $5 billion for a new trade diversification corridor fund.
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Mr. Carney’s focus on getting projects built faster was in part a response to the threat U.S. tariffs posed for Canadian businesses and workers.
The prime minister’s office said the government will announce the first set of projects in the coming weeks. It will announce next month the membership of the Indigenous Advisory Council, which will counsel the MPO.