Premiers seem cautiously optimistic as they prepare to pitch major projects to Carney

Darren Major · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 02, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 7 minutes ago

There was cautious optimism successful the aerial arsenic provincial and territorial premiers began arriving successful Saskatoon to conscionable with Prime Minister Mark Carney.

The archetypal ministers are gathering connected Monday, and Carney has said helium wants to perceive provincial ideas for "nation-building projects." The premiers and different stakeholders joined Carney for a reception connected Sunday night, and the code up of the lawsuit seemed reasonably optimistic.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith — who has been pushing for Ottawa to conscionable a fig of her government's conditions to determination projects guardant — met with Carney during the Sunday nighttime event.

"I'm looking guardant to uncovering immoderate communal ground. We had a mates bully texts and a mates of bully telephone calls, and I deliberation that there's a tone of collaboration," Smith said connected her mode into the reception.

The Alberta premier had sent a missive to Carney successful mid-May, saying determination are respective preconditions indispensable to marque his nation-building ambitions a success: Include an lipid pipeline connected the archetypal database of nation-building projects, wantonness the "unconstitutional" lipid and state emissions cap, overhaul the Impact Assessment Act and repeal Canada's concern c tax, arsenic good arsenic cleanable energy regulations.

Quebec has historically been opposed to pipeline projects successful its jurisdiction. But Premier François Legault has precocious opened the doorway to pipeline improvement successful the province, saying Quebecers admit the value of reducing the country's dependence connected vigor exports to the United States.

"If there's a project, we're acceptable to look astatine it, if it goes done Quebec territory. But we'll request to person economical interaction — affirmative ones — for Quebec," Legault said Sunday evening.

Carney told CBC News Network's Power & Politics last week that he's seeking to person projects vie for national approval, with the champion ideas winning out.

"In effect, we're going to person a contention with projects. Some projects are bully ideas, but they're not ready. Others are ready, but they're atrocious ideas," helium told big David Cochrane.

WATCH | What types of 'nation-building' projects bash provinces privation to see?:

When asked by reporters astir his expectations for Monday's meeting, Northwest Territories Premier R.J. Simpson said helium was a small disquieted astir smaller provinces getting overlooked.

"The Northwest Territories, and the North successful general, has not received a batch of infrastructure concern implicit the past fig of years," Simpson said. "But there's been a batch of attraction connected the North this past twelvemonth — adjacent the past six months. So I'm hopeful that's going to effect successful immoderate large infrastructure investments."

Ontario Premier Doug Ford said helium hopes Monday's gathering is little astir definite projects winning retired implicit others and that the absorption remains connected pursuing projects that benefit Canada arsenic a whole.

"I deliberation we're present for a connection of unity, making definite we bash the close things for each of Canada — not conscionable parts of Canada," helium said.