REGINA — Saskatchewan Deputy Premier and Minister of Finance Jim Reiter has decidedly mixed opinions about the list of major projects being considered by the federal government.
He was reacting to Prime Minister Mark Carney's announcement of the first major projects selected for consideration by the Major Projects Office, including the McIlvenna Bay Foran Copper Mine project in northeast Saskatchewan.
That was one piece of good news cited by Reiter in a statement Thursday afternoon. But in that statement Reiter also expressed his disappointment that it wasn't a more ambitious list of projects.
Reiter pointed to the omission of uranium projects from the list, noting there were three projects in Saskatchewan ready to go. He also expressed concern about the lack of any approved pipeline projects.
The full statement from Minister Reiter is as follows.
"While we are pleased to see some projects selected, including the Foran Copper Mine in Saskatchewan, I think most Canadians were expecting a more ambitious list of projects given the Prime Minister’s promise to build 'at a speed not seen in generations.'
"The omission of uranium projects from the list is extremely concerning as there are three projects in Saskatchewan that are ready to move forward in the near term. We have asked the federal government to correct this immediately. The lack of any approved pipeline projects also highlights the uncertainty caused by the current regulatory system and the reluctance of companies to move forward given that uncertainty.
"A federal Major Projects Office is only necessary because of unworkable federal regulations, like the Impact Assessment Act, brought forward by the previous liberal Prime Minister. Bill C-5 and the Major Projects Office do not solve the fundamental problem that these regulations are a barrier to projects moving forward.
"Saskatchewan’s position remains the same – our country needs all economic projects to go forward if Canada wants to be the strongest economy in the G7 — not just the projects selected by politicians in Ottawa. That can only happen through true regulatory reform at the federal level which Premier (Scott) Moe will raise with the Prime Minister the next time they speak."
