Poilievre’s Economic Vision: Fast-Tracking Mines, Pipelines, and LNG Plants
The Conservative vision for Canada’s economic revival: eliminating red tape and unleashing industry with pre-approved permits.
Editorial Team (ET)May 8, 2025
Pierre Poilievre is on a mission to unleash Canada’s full economic potential and end the stagnation that has held the country back for too long. With a federal election on the horizon, his Build Canada First plan is setting the stage for a bold transformation—one that puts Canadian workers, businesses, and resources first.
The Canada First Shovel-Ready Zones initiative is a cornerstone of this vision. It will offer pre-approved permits for large-scale projects like mines, data centers, pipelines, LNG plants, and manufacturing facilities, cutting through the red tape that has cost the country half a trillion dollars in lost investment over the past decade.
This plan is about more than just infrastructure; it’s about economic sovereignty. Canada is rich in oil, gas, minerals, farmland, and talent, yet it has been crippled by overregulation and government roadblocks that have driven industry south of the border. Poilievre’s message is clear: It’s time to take back control and start building again.
The Cost of Bureaucracy: A Decade of Lost Opportunity
For years, investment in energy, mining, and infrastructure has been suffocated by a slow and unpredictable approval process. It currently takes an unacceptable 17 years to approve a new mine, while key projects—such as pipelines and LNG plants—have been outright canceled due to political interference.
Under Liberal governance, led by Justin Trudeau, Canada has seen the cancellation of resource projects worth billions, including major pipeline expansions. It has the slowest industrial permit approvals in the developed world, second only to the most bureaucratic economies. A massive capital exodus has driven businesses to move operations to the United States instead of fighting Canadian red tape.
Meanwhile, other countries have surged ahead. The United States built eight LNG plants in the past decade while Canada struggled to approve just one. Germany constructed a major gas import facility in just 194 days, while Canadian projects remain locked in environmental review. Qatar nearly doubled its LNG production, securing global energy dominance—something Canada should have been doing all along.
The reality is clear: Canada is losing because it refuses to compete.
Pierre Poilievre’s Solution: Pre-Approved Permits to Get Canada Building Again
The Canada First Shovel-Ready Zones initiative is designed to eliminate uncertainty and delays by completing all regulatory, environmental, and safety assessments upfront. Investors and companies will no longer waste years and billions of dollars navigating a maze of shifting government rules. Instead, they will have clear, legally binding permits before they even break ground.
This initiative will fast-track economic growth and job creation by ensuring that essential projects move forward without interference. Instead of waiting decades for a "maybe," businesses will receive a definitive "yes" from day one.
Unleashing Canada’s Full Industrial Strength
Shovel-Ready Zones will directly support Canada’s key industries and ensure that domestic resources are used to create jobs and prosperity at home, rather than enriching foreign economies. Pierre Poilievre’s plan will empower mining operations to extract lithium, nickel, and uranium—critical for clean energy and battery production. LNG plants will be able to ship Canadian natural gas to Europe and Asia, breaking their reliance on Russian energy. Pipelines will be built to transport Canadian oil and gas efficiently, reducing dependence on U.S. refiners. Data centers will thrive in Canada’s cold climate and energy-rich economy, attracting high-tech investment. Hydroelectric projects will strengthen clean energy production and lower power costs. Manufacturing and heavy industry will expand, using Canadian steel and labor to build the future.
Jobs, Investment, and a Self-Reliant Canada
This plan is about putting Canadians back to work in high-paying jobs and bringing back lost investment. Tens of thousands of welders, engineers, construction workers, and tradespeople will have long-term employment opportunities as major projects move forward without political delays.
For too long, Canada has been forced to sell its energy and minerals at bargain prices to the United States simply because the government refused to approve infrastructure that would allow exports to global markets. The United States has taken full advantage, buying discounted Canadian oil and gas and flipping it for profit while Canada remains trapped in a system of self-inflicted economic weakness. That ends with a government that prioritizes its own industries over foreign interests.
Pierre Poilievre’s plan is about economic independence. Instead of relying on American pipelines, Canadian oil will flow east and west across the country. Instead of watching the United States dominate LNG exports, Canadian gas will be shipped directly to Europe and Asia. Instead of critical minerals being left in the ground due to excessive regulation, Canada will develop the mines that power the modern world.
Canada’s Moment to Lead
The Shovel-Ready Zones initiative is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reshape the country’s economic landscape. It will attract billions of dollars in investment, create thousands of jobs, and ensure that Canada’s natural resources benefit its own citizens instead of foreign economies.
This plan is not about cutting corners—it’s about cutting through the unnecessary delays and political interference that have stalled progress for too long. It’s about putting Canada first, ensuring that hardworking citizens have the opportunities they deserve, and making sure that businesses have the certainty they need to invest in the country’s future.
For a decade, Canada has fallen behind while the rest of the world surged ahead. Now is the time to take control of its economic destiny, unleash its full potential, and build the mines, pipelines, LNG plants, and industries that will define the next century. Canada has the resources, the talent, and the vision. All that’s needed now is the will to act.
