Build Canada Now — Whose Priorities Count?

Whose Canada is being built - corporations' or Canadians'? Both at the same time?

On September 15, more than a hundred oil and gas companies and associations signed an open letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney under the banner “Build Canada Now.”

It’s a bold phrase. But whose Canada are they building — and does their agenda line up with what Canadians actually said they want in 2025?

Earlier this year, ahead of the federal election, I wrote about the People’s Mandate: the baseline priorities Canadians themselves identified. This is the real accountability yardstick — not just what corporate lobby groups demand.

The People’s Mandate: What Canadians Said

National polling set a clear baseline:

• 92% housing affordability

• 92% modernizing health care

• 91% job creation and long-term economic growth

• 90% government efficiency

• 83% eliminating interprovincial trade barriers

• 82% building a national health data system

• 75% modernizing Canada’s defense

• 68% shifting toward skills-based immigration

In short: Canadians want bold action — but action that makes life affordable, modernizes outdated systems, and drives fair, sustainable growth.

What the Letter Says

The September Build Canada Now letter comes from the oil patch: Enbridge, Suncor, CNRL, Cenovus, Imperial, TC Energy, Pembina, ConocoPhillips, and dozens of others. Associations like CAPP, Pathways Alliance, and EPAC signed on too.

Their asks:

1. Overhaul the Impact Assessment Act

2. Repeal the West Coast tanker ban

3. Approve projects in months, not years

4. Eliminate the “unlegislated” emissions cap

5. Scale Indigenous loan guarantees

The framing: “Build Canada” means build hydrocarbons, faster.

What’s Missing

Here’s what’s absent:

• Housing — the #1 Canadian priority

• Healthcare modernization — 92% want it, zero mention

• Entrepreneurship and small business vitality — silent

• Electricity, renewables, nuclear, storage, efficiency — barely mentioned

• Homes, affordability, resilience — missing

For a letter wrapped in the language of nation-building, the scope is narrow.

What Companies Have Actually Done

Some tangible projects are worth recognizing:

• Cedar LNG — the first Indigenous-majority LNG project (Haisla Nation + Pembina), backed by $1.4B in Indigenous financing.

• Enbridge + 23 First Nations — largest Indigenous equity deal in North America, covering seven pipelines.

• Suncor cogeneration — 800 MW facility online, reducing emissions and adding reliable electricity.

• Strathcona + Canada Growth Fund — up to $2B for carbon capture and storage.

• Pathways Alliance — planning a CO₂ trunkline and Cold Lake storage hub.

• Enbridge renewables — $8B+ in wind and solar, 7 GW in play.

These examples matter. They create jobs, lower carbon intensity, and advance Indigenous ownership.

Yet the September letter barely highlights them — instead, it leans heavily on deregulation.

Reactions & Pushback

• Industry allies echoed the urgency narrative.

• Environmental NGOs flagged greenwashing and climate backsliding.

• Indigenous leaders split — some welcomed equity deals; others warned of risks without genuine free, prior, informed consent.

• Investors and ESG analysts raised credibility concerns: no concrete numbers or measurable commitments.

The UN SDGs & ESG Scorecard

If “Build Canada” is to be credible, it should align with global sustainability standards. A quick map:

• SDG 7 (Clean Energy): Focused on hydrocarbons, little on renewables or grids.

• SDG 8 (Decent Work): Jobs promised, but no metrics for safety, training, or just transition.

• SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities): Indigenous equity discussed, but no FPIC guarantees or ownership benchmarks.

• SDG 13 (Climate Action): Mentions CCS, but pushes to remove caps; no net-zero pathway.

• SDG 11 (Sustainable Communities): No mention of housing or affordability.

An ESG scorecard would demand clear, measurable KPIs:

• −40% Scope 1+2 emissions by 2030

• Methane intensity ≤0.1%, zero routine flaring

• ≥15% Indigenous equity in new projects

• FPIC documented and disclosed

• Executive pay tied to ESG metrics

Anything less is just branding.

Whose Canada Are We Building?

Measured against the People’s Mandate, the September letter falls short:

• Housing affordability? Absent

• Healthcare modernization? Absent

• Job creation? Conditional

• Government efficiency? Framed as deregulation, not better service

• Indigenous equity? Advancing, but narrowly tied to hydrocarbons

“Build Canada” should not mean “build pipelines.” It should mean homes, healthcare, affordability, and energy systems that serve all Canadians.

Toward a Whole-Energy, Whole-Canada Vision

If we’re serious:

• Grids and storage, not just pipelines.

• Affordable, efficient homes that cut energy bills.

• Healthcare modernization powered by reliable electricity and data.

• Indigenous equity across renewables, transmission, nuclear, and critical minerals.

• Entrepreneurship everywhere — from rural startups to urban innovators.

That’s what building Canada really looks like.

Conclusion: Accountability After the Letter

The September letter is important. It shows where corporate priorities lie: deregulation, hydrocarbons, conditional promises.

But the real question remains: Whose priorities count?

If “Build Canada” only means oil exports, we miss the issues Canadians actually care about most: housing, healthcare, affordability, fairness.

True progress means aligning industry ambitions with public priorities — and holding both government and companies accountable with transparent, measurable commitments.

Your Take: What should “Build Canada” really mean in 2025 — pipelines, homes, healthcare, or a full-spectrum energy and infrastructure vision?