Canada proposes to simplify regulatory process, speed up project approvals

TC Energy

08/05/2026 20:30

May 8 (Reuters) - The government of Canada on Friday proposed reforms to ensure federal reviews and decision-making timelines take no longer than one year, as it aims to speed up approvals and strengthen a uniform regulatory system for major projects.

The government said it would engage with Indigenous Peoples, provinces and territories and the Canadian public over a 30-day period about the proposals.

The key aim of the reforms is to limit the federal review process and decision-making timeline to a year, once all pertinent information about a project has been collected.

The proposals intend to improve regulatory efficiency by tightening approval timelines, creating federal economic zones and providing a regulatory system where a single comprehensive federal decision is made on permits and approvals for major projects.

The government also wants to modernize the national transport policy and port governance as Canada aims to diversify its trade away from the U.S.

The proposals include plans to simplify regulatory reporting in order to reduce redundancies and inefficiencies in transportation regulations.

The Business Council of Alberta, which represents entrepreneurs and companies in the province, welcomed the proposal, saying that reducing review timelines would meaningfully improve Canada's competitiveness relative to the U.S.

TC Energy TRP.TO, a major pipeline operator in Canada, said it looked forward to providing input on the proposals.

(Reporting by Vallari Srivastava in Bengaluru; Editing by Jonathan Ananda)

((Srivastava.Vallari@thomsonreuters.com;))