James Moore is a former federal cabinet minister under prime minister Stephen Harper, and a columnist for CTVNews.ca.
Perhaps the three most important words spoken by Prime Minister Carney during the campaign came after all the ballots had been cast and the results were known.
During his victory speech on election night in Ottawa he said to Canadians: “Build, baby, build.”
The more fulsome quote in which the three words were contained was: “It is a time for ambition, it is a time to be bold to meet this (Trump tariff) crisis with the overwhelming force of a united Canada, because we are going to build. Build, baby, build.”
There is nothing wrong with setting the bar high for your government. Sometimes the adage of ‘under promise and over deliver’ doesn’t quite meet the moment. I believe we are living in such a moment. So, for many Canadians, Prime Minister Carney’s ambition to aim high and be a nation builder is a welcome departure from his predecessor. And, if everyone of consequence plays their part in good faith, there are signs that “build, baby, build” might be realized in a meaningful way.
The Conservative Party demanded for years that the government of Prime Minister Trudeau get serious and substantive on building everything from energy infrastructure to trade corridors to modernized ports of entry and more. And with interim parliamentary leader Andrew Scheer suggesting that the Official Opposition is willing to work constructively with Prime Minister Carney’s government on these same files, perhaps we could have a constructive session of Parliament that is more about policy than politics.
On the energy file, the pathway forward for building is relatively clear. We need to upend the current complex regulatory process that is too subjective, too non-linear, too unpredictable and excessively expensive and time consuming.
It sends all the wrong signals, has forced a capital flight from Canada and is utterly counter-productive. We must attract investment to “build, baby, build” and Canada isn’t just failing to attract that new capital, our policies are forcing a capital flight away from our opportunities. This needs to be reversed if we are ever going to have the investment needed to create jobs and prosperity and to heal our national divisions.
Reversing unpopular Liberal policies
If Prime Minister Carney were to signal — through policy, not rhetoric — that he understands the global market in which our oil and gas sectors compete and walks back the failing policies of his predecessor on the unrealistic and uncompetitive emissions cap, as well as the mindlessly uncompetitive cost drivers of the carbon levies, and work to establish a fiscal environment that leads to responsible growth and development, he would be leaving a true legacy as a nation builder.
Prime Minister Carney reversed a near decades old policy of consumer carbon pricing that seemed the absolute and unassailable virtue of Liberal climate change policy, and he forced his party to reverse a poorly thought-out capital gains tax proposal that was heralded in the most recent federal budget. He managed to accomplish these policy reversals because they were bad policies that were politically unpopular. Reversing them was the right thing to do.
Well, his predecessor’s energy policies are, broadly, even worse public policy, counterproductive to the core of the mandate he earned on April 28 and reversing them must be considered if he is to deliver on his promise to build.
Provinces are stepping up
And in the spirit of optimism, it must be noted that in our confederation our provincial governments must also do their part get things done. And, the good news is, many are stepping up to move the country forward.
Premier Danielle Smith in Alberta should be applauded for her advocacy for her largest sectors and her ambitious AI Data Center consideration. Meanwhile, Premier Tim Houston of Nova Scotia, Doug Ford of Ontario and Rob Lantz of P.E.I. have given new hope for greater internal free trade in Canada with their leadership and cooperation.
Canada’s provinces seem to be lining up one after the next with solid proposals to build Canada and move forward.
Last week in British Columbia, NDP Premier David Eby tabled Bill 15 in the legislature. The “Infrastructure Projects Act” should be applauded for its ambition and efforts to move critical projects forward in the province. The legislation is described by the B.C. government as an effort “to deliver projects faster, with the tools to accelerate key projects and help strengthen our province, while maintaining our commitments to advancing reconciliation and protecting the environment.”
I agree entirely with this sentiment because the province can’t continue as it has been for the past few years. According to RBC Economics, British Columbia’s economy stumbled in 2024 with real GDP expansion coming in at just 1.2 per cent, down by 50 per cent from the soft 2.4 per cent growth in 2023.
And why is the B.C. economy struggling? Most notably because construction activity contracted sharply, down 5.7 per cent overall. Even worse, residential construction — even after all the efforts, spending and promises by governments to get homes built — fell by 8.8 per cent. What we have been doing hasn’t worked and it is time for a new approach to get things built in B.C.
And, to his credit, Premier Eby is taking a political risk in tabling this legislation. His alignment with the B.C. Greens could be in jeopardy, some progressive factions in his governing coalition seem unconvinced of the necessity for the effort, and those who think a slow-growth/no-growth anti-development path is what’s best think Eby may have lost his way. But it seems clear to me that Premier Eby is doing the right thing with this legislation and risking political capital to move it forward is what leadership looks like.
The legislation has attracted some thoughtful criticism from the opposition Conservatives, but hopefully reasonable minds can arrive at reasonable solutions so that the province can move forward and align British Columbia’s policy modernization needs with the federal government’s newfound “build, baby, build” commitment.
There is a window of opportunity in front of us that ought not be squandered. If Prime Minister Carney leans into his commitment, if the Conservative Official Opposition constructively criticizes but is open working with the government in good faith, and if the provincial governments across Canada keep showing the necessary leadership to getting things done for Canada, we may well have brighter days ahead.
