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“I am a Canadian, free to speak without fear, free to worship in my own way, free to stand for what I think right, free to oppose what I believe wrong, or free to choose those who shall govern my country. This heritage of freedom I pledge to uphold for myself and all mankind.” ~~ John G. Diefenbaker

The Major Projects Office is an admission of dysfunction. It only exists because the rest of the government’s regulatory apparatus is unfit for purpose (The Line)

The more I think about the Major Projects Office (MPO), the grumpier I get.

I’m certainly all aboard with the notion that there are projects in the national interest that we should be trying to get done in an accelerated way. To whatever extent the MPO is able to accomplish that, good. Let’s all blow it a big kiss. Plus, with news emerging of an apparently upcoming announcement of a pipeline from Alberta to the Pacific, you can also start to see the political utility of the MPO. That pipeline is going to be really hard to get built given geographic realities, legal realities, and the political opposition in British Columbia. But Prime Minister Mark Carney signing himself up with a pipeline to the Pacific is going to help him in a big way to dampen unrest in Alberta.

So like I said, I get it.

But are we not kind of glossing over the fact that it’s also a pretty damning indictment of this country? A country that is working correctly does not need a Major Projects Office. The MPO is a confession of dysfunction. It only exists because the rest of the government’s regulatory apparatus is unfit for purpose ...

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