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Major Projects Office

During Question Period, Conservatives asked repeatedly about the Major Projects Office, saying that some employees there are paid by private corporations, that the government will not name those companies, and that conflicts of interest are not independently reviewed. They asked which companies are paying these workers and how conflicts are checked. Liberal ministers responded by defending the office and listing projects it has helped advance, including the Churchill Falls hydro project, the Darlington nuclear work, the Roberts Bank Terminal 2 port project in British Columbia, and the Contrecoeur expansion at the Port of Montreal, and they invited members to support these projects. One exchange also touched on China’s removal of tariffs on lobster and crab and new fisheries funding.Written by AI from the debate. Updated .

Official text

14 statements

Carol Anstey

Conservative

Linked statement

“Private companies pay workers inside the government office that approves their projects. I want the Prime Minister to tell Canadians how many of these workers there are and which companies pay them.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, after 11 years of the Liberals, one thing is clear. There are now two Canadas, one for hard-working Canadians who play by all the rules and one for the Liberal club. While Canadian families struggle to put food on the table, private corporations are paying employees who work inside the Major Projects Office, and the Prime Minister refuses to reveal who they are. Imagine an employer having their own employees working inside the very office responsible for advancing the projects the employer’s company wants approved. Can the Prime Minister tell Canadians exactly how many corporate-paid employees are working inside his MPO and which companies are paying for that?

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Joanne Thompson

Liberal
“I have good news for the member. Today we announced that China's tariffs will be removed for two years.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, I actually have some very good news for the member opposite. Today we were proud to announce the removal of China’s tariffs for two years— Some hon. members: Oh, oh!

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Joanne Thompson

Liberal
“China is removing tariffs on lobster and crab for two years, and we are spending over 300 million dollars over five years to support fisheries. Instead of reading prepared notes, the member opposite should work with us on things that make sense.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, I would like to take it from the top, if I could, because this is such important, good news for the province I share with the member opposite. There is a two-year removal of the Chinese tariffs on lobster and crab, which is so significant for Atlantic Canada. On top of that, there is over $300 million over five years for AFF funding. Instead of reading prepared notes, let us get together and do something that actually makes sense.

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Carol Anstey

Conservative
“Canadians are struggling, and food bank visits are at a record high. At the same time, private companies are paying workers inside the Prime Minister's Major Projects Office. The government needs to tell Canadians which companies are paying these workers.”

  • A repeated line

    “The Prime Minister told young Canadians they would have to “make sacrifices.”

    Said 5 times by 5 members since May 8.

    Every time it was said
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, I would not want to talk about the Major Projects Office either. Last year, the Prime Minister told Canadians to prepare to make sacrifices. Well, guess what. They are already making them. Food bank visits have reached a record 2.35 million in a single month, with 776,000 of those visits being made by children. Canadians are being made to make sacrifices, yet private corporations are paying employees working inside of the Prime Minister’s Major Projects Office, and the government refuses to disclose which companies are involved. Again, Canadians deserve transparency. How many employees working inside the Major Projects Office are being paid by—

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Tim Hodgson

Liberal
“Stop spreading conspiracy theories. Look at what this office did at Churchill Falls instead. It is our largest clean energy project.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, rather than come up with conspiracy theories, why does the member not talk about what the MPO did at Churchill Falls? It is the largest renewable energy— Some hon. members: Oh, oh!

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Tim Hodgson

Liberal
“The member should stop sharing conspiracy theories about the Major Projects Office. It helped make Churchill Falls happen, which brought 5,000 new jobs and new mines to her province. She should help the office instead.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, rather than come up with conspiracy theories about the MPO, the member might recognize that the MPO helped make Churchill Falls happen. It is the largest renewable energy project in the history of North America, with 5,000 new jobs in her province, new mines in her province. Instead of coming up with conspiracies, why does she not help the MPO get—

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Connie Cody

Conservative
“The Major Projects Office is keeping secrets. Up to one-third of the workers there are paid by private corporations, but the government will not say which ones. These workers can influence decisions that help their employers. I want the minister to release the list of these companies.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister promised lots of things about his new Major Projects Office, but he forgot to mention that it would be done with unprecedented secrecy. It could be up to one-third corporate-sponsored employees working inside the office, and we do not know which private corporations are paying them. Canadians have a right to know who has a seat at the table. These insiders have direct access to government decisions that could benefit their employers. Yesterday at committee, I asked a simple question. Which companies do they work for? The minister refused to answer, so I will ask again. Will the minister be transparent and release the list of corporations, yes or no?

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Tim Hodgson

Liberal
“The Conservatives should stop pushing conspiracy theories about the Major Projects Office. This office helped create 18,000 jobs at the Darlington nuclear reactor, one of the most important clean energy projects in the world.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, just as with the last member, I would invite the member, rather than focusing on conspiracy theories about the MPO, to focus on the 18,000 jobs at the Darlington nuclear reactor. It is one of the most important renewable energy projects in the world, the first SMRs in the world, and the Conservatives are talking down the office that made that happen. Maybe they should get with the program.

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Connie Cody

Conservative
“The government is hiding which companies pay their workers to work in the Major Projects Office. Canadians need to know who these companies are, how conflicts of interest are checked, and if they will gain from government choices.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, there is clearly something to hide. The minister refused to identify the corporations that are paying their employees to work inside the Major Projects Office. This is the same Liberal government that has been found guilty of ethics violations time and time again, and now Canadians are supposed to trust them. Why should they? How can Canadians be expected to believe that large corporations are paying employees to work inside the Major Projects Office simply out of generosity? Canadians do not know who these companies are, how conflicts are being screened or whether those companies stand to benefit from government decisions. If the government has nothing to hide, why is it hiding?

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Steven MacKinnon

Liberal
“The Major Projects Office is getting results. With its help, we announced a $6 billion port project in British Columbia that will create 17,000 jobs and help us sell Canadian goods to Asia.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, we have talked about Atlantic Canada, we have talked about Quebec, and we have talked about Ontario. Now it is time to talk about British Columbia, where I was last Friday to announce, with the help of the MPO, it must be said, the listing of Roberts Bank Terminal 2. It is a megaproject for all of Canada, with $6 billion and 17,000 jobs for British Columbians and Canadians, to export our goods, our farm goods and the products of our ingeniosity over to Asia and create—

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Gabriel Hardy

Conservative
“The government is putting people on loan from banks and private companies in charge of handing out billions in public money. These workers can choose to give money to their own employers. This is a clear conflict of interest, and regular Canadians are paying for it.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, the way the Prime Minister is managing taxpayers’ money is starting to become extremely worrisome. On one side, we have ordinary citizens who are affected by those decisions on a daily basis and who are paying the price every day. On the other, we have the people who make the rules and the friends of the people who make the rules. They are the ones reaping the benefits. We have learned that many of the employees of the Major Projects Office are there on loan from private companies and banks. These are the people who are responsible for deciding which companies will receive billions of dollars from the Liberals. They get to choose the winners, and their boss might be one of them. How can we expect Canadians to have confidence in our institutions when transparency—

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Joël Lightbound

Liberal
“Conservatives say they want to help ordinary people, but they vote against them. The member voted against child benefits and dental care that help tens of thousands of people in his own riding. Another Conservative said we help businesses too much, but she cheered when we gave support to a business in her riding.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, what I do not understand about the Conservatives is the way they talk about helping ordinary people and then systematically vote against those people’s interests. That member specifically voted against 19,223 children who are receiving an average of $5,000 through the Canada child benefit, in addition to the 19,000 people in his riding who are benefiting from the Canadian dental care plan. The confusion and hypocrisy across the way do not stop there. Yesterday, the member for Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis accused us of helping businesses too much. However, when we were in her riding, visiting Prevost and helping businesses deal with the trade war, they were quite happy to be there on the sidelines and applaud the announcements we were making to support Canadian businesses.

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Gabriel Hardy

Conservative
“The Major Projects Office has no independent oversight. The Prime Minister's own staff decide if there is a conflict of interest. The government hid the names of the companies involved, saying it would be embarrassing to release them. Will the government tell us which businesses are paying these workers to pick winners?”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, the most alarming thing about all this is that these employees’ potential conflict of interest is not subject to any independent oversight. The Privy Council Office is staffed by employees who work directly for the Prime Minister. The Major Projects Office is the Prime Minister’s creation and tool. They are the ones who decide whether or not there is a conflict. When we asked for the names of the companies involved in all that, they responded that the information is confidential and that revealing it could cause embarrassment. Since when is transparency something to be embarrassed about? Are the Liberals going to reveal which businesses are paying employees to pick the winners, yes or no?

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Steven MacKinnon

Liberal
“I want the member to support our government. We are funding the Contrecoeur project, which will grow the Port of Montreal's container capacity by 50%. This will create jobs and help Quebec businesses sell their goods to the world.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, the Major Projects Office has selected Quebec winners as well. I implore the member to support this side of the House, because we revealed the investment and the start of construction on the Contrecoeur project, which will increase the Port of Montreal’s container capacity by 50%. What is that going to accomplish? It is going to create wealth, opportunities and supply chains for Quebec manufacturers, farmers and producers to reach the entire world. It is creating jobs in Quebec.

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