Nation-building isn’t about provincial priorities
A colleague once told me that if both sides of an argument are mad at you, then you are likely doing something right. So, today I will set out to annoy both federal Transport Minister and Government House Leader Steven MacKinnon and Ontario Premier Doug Ford. I will do that by setting out some criteria for differentiating between “nation-building” projects and provincial projects of a “national scale.”
Nation-building projects should, by definition, build our nation. These should be investments that affect trade and commerce, national defence (including civilian emergency response), interprovincial and international transportation and communication, and our ability to meet our treaty obligations. If that list sounds familiar to you, it’s because it is a rough summary of Sec. 91 of Canada’s Constitution—the one that defines key federal powers.
Provincial projects of national scale certainly may affect these items, usually indirectly. They will not be national in scope and will normally have only regional, or even highly local, direct impacts. Consider, for example, two “competing” transportation projects here in Ontario.
Ford is a strong advocate of a multilevel traffic and transit tunnel running beneath Highway 401 across the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). The multibillion-dollar proposal is intended to ease congestion and enhance productivity across the region. Given that Toronto is the beating heart of the provincial economy, and Ontario accounts for almost 40 per cent of national GDP, there is a case to be made that the indirect value from this project is of national significance. There is also no question that the tunnel is a provincial priority. Ford said so in his May 5, 2025, letter to the prime minister listing Ontario’s proposals for the new national Major Projects Office (MPO).
But the project, despite its massive price tag, does not amount to nation-building. It would have little to no impact on economic activity or daily life anywhere outside the GTA. It makes no obvious contribution to improving national defence or interprovincial trade. Or to Canada’s capacity to satisfy our treaty obligations, either internationally or with First Nations, Métis, and Inuit peoples. All of which likely explains why it didn’t make the initial list of “nation-building” projects developed by the MPO.
Now consider the more recent ask from Ontario for Canada to designate the upgrade of the Highway 11/17 corridor through northern Ontario as a project of national significance. A request that was reportedly dismissed by MacKinnon with the argument that highways are a provincial responsibility. The minister is only half correct. Planning and building highways are clearly provincial responsibilities. Funding them, however—especially funding the Trans-Canada system—has always been a shared exercise. In fact, considering the urgency for investing in nation-building infrastructure, including hitting our new 1.5 per cent GDP target on defence-related infrastructure, Canada should consider taking a larger than normal role here.
From a national defence perspective, a robust, reliable cross-country highway system is a key piece of “dual-use” infrastructure. Facilitating economic activity and growth during periods of peace and facilitating rapid mobilization in times of crisis. The 11/17 corridor is the only highway link connecting eastern and western Canada. When this artery was cut in 2016 (due to the failure of a single bridge) the ripple effects were felt at dinner tables and on workshop floors across the country. The route also serves more than 100 First Nations and numerous Métis communities. The dangerous and unreliable state of this corridor contributes daily to Canada falling short on education, health, and economic commitments to these treaty partners.
If we are looking for nation-building, it doesn’t get more on point than completing an unfinished national project we started 75 years ago. Especially if we are serious about increasing interprovincial trade. Almost 90 per cent of goods are transported by truck in Canada. If we want millions of dollars of new trade daily to shift east-west instead of north-south, do we really think a two-lane highway built in the 1950s is up to the task?
Charles Cirtwill is president and CEO of Northern Policy Institute, which is northern Ontario's independent, evidence-driven think tank. Our mission is to grow northern Ontario by supporting evidence-based decision-making through education and direct community engagement.
The Hill Times