Manitoba isn’t ready for nation-building projects

Nation-building projects are once again being announced across Canada. They have big numbers, bold promises, and right now, a sense of urgency. In these projects, the federal government is promising jobs, competitiveness, and economic growth, particularly as Canada moves toward net zero and seeks to secure its place in a rapidly changing global economy.

Speed has become a key selling point.

The federal government has made clear it wants projects approved faster and has committed to reducing what it calls bureaucratic red tape. Through the Building Canada Act and the creation of the Major Projects Office, Ottawa is signalling a new approach to development. And it’s gaining real traction. Since last summer, nearly $120 billion in major projects have been announced across the country.

Manitoba has not yet seen one of those announcements. But it most likely will. If it happened today, we believe our province isn’t ready.

As the federal government accelerates approvals, it is also signalling a reduced role in impact assessment, a responsibility it has historically shared with provinces. Ottawa is currently negotiating cooperation agreements that will clarify who assesses what. In practice, this means provinces will carry more responsibility for evaluating the environmental, social, health, and rights-based impacts of major projects.

Manitoba isn’t ready to take on that responsibility, particularly because our provincial assessment tools haven’t been meaningfully updated in decades, nor do they contemplate the depth and breadth of impacts that need to be considered here.

Impact assessment is meant to help governments understand the consequences of development before decisions are made and before harms become irreversible. It is not intended to stop development, but to put guardrails in place and identify mitigation strategies that allow development to proceed responsibly and successfully.

When designed well, it helps balance economic opportunity with protection of people, land, water, and Treaty and Indigenous rights. When it is narrow, rushed, or under-resourced, communities can pay the price for generations.

Manitoba knows this from experience.

From mineral extraction to northern hydro development and other past nation-building projects, this province has lived with the long-term consequences of decisions made without fully understanding cumulative effects, community impacts, and risks to health and ecosystems. These impacts were not theoretical. They reshaped landscapes, disrupted lives, and left public institutions struggling to respond for generations.

Manitobans are not opposed to development. In our most recent study on impactassessments, conducted provincewide, our findings indicate strong support for development, but it must be done responsibly.

Just last year, our organizations, Manitoba Eco-Network, the University of Winnipeg, and the Public Interest Law Centre, conducted a provincewide study on impact assessment, which was released in the fall. Nearly 500 people participated through surveys, workshops in Brandon, The Pas, and Winnipeg, and an expert session in Winnipeg. Voices from urban, rural, and northern communities provided a broad and representative picture.

Their message was consistent. Manitobans want development and major infrastructure projects, but not at any cost. They want assements that protect people, land, water, and rights. They want decisions that consider long-term consequences, not just short-term economic gains. And they want meaningful opportunities to be heard before decisions are made, not after.

Across our study, Manitobans identified priorities for the province of Manitoba. They want assessments that consider cumulative and health impacts, make space for Indigenous-led assessment and traditional knowledge, provide real public engagement, strengthen monitoring and enforcement over the life of a project, ensure companies can pay for cleanup, and support Indigenous guardianship programs as key tools for stewardship.

These expectations are practical and grounded in lived experience and practices done elsewhere. They reflect a desire to avoid repeating the irreversible outcomes of past nation-building projects.

Manitoba’s assessment system is woefully outdated, and Manitobans are asking the provincial government to act now. Without modern provincial laws, Manitoba risks being pulled into accelerated processes it did not design, with limited ability to protect communities, lands, and water. If federal oversight is reduced, the province must ensure its own safeguards are robust, transparent, and capable of standing on their own.

The study offered recommendations to get the modernization process started: engage Indigenous rights-holders on meaningful reform, engage the public to identify priorities and expectations, and implement reforms based directly on what Manitobans have said. It also underscores the need for adequate provincial investment, including resources and staffing, in the departments responsible for assessment and enforcement.

These recommendations are not about slowing development, but rather about reducing bad outcomes and minimizing potential harms. They are about building trust, strengthening decision-making, and ensuring Manitoba is ready to manage the scale and pace of projects now being promoted as nation-building.

Manitoba is unlike any other province. This is our opportunity to design processes made in Manitoba, for Manitobans, that support responsible nation-building and lasting success for generations to come.

Dr. Patricia Fitzpatrick is a professor in the department of geography and the chair of the Masters in Development Practice – Indigenous Development program at the University of Winnipeg, as well as co-chair of the technical advisory committee on science and knowledge for the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada. Heather Fast is the policy advocacy director at Manitoba Eco‑Network and Katrine Dilay is a staff lawyer at the Public Interest Law Centre.