Ottawa Defends Secrecy on Major Projects Staff

Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc and Major Projects Office CEO Dawn Farrell declined to name private sector companies whose employees are seconded to the office.

Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Utilities

Ottawa Defends Secrecy on Major Projects Staff

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Internal Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc argued that the names of private sector companies with employees at the Major Projects Office should not be released. Office CEO Dawn Farrell also declined to provide names or company names of privately seconded staff during a parliamentary committee hearing.

Why it matters

The Major Projects Office is supporting 18 projects and 10 strategies across Canada, representing 200,000 jobs and more than $190 billion in new investment. Questions about who is embedded in the office bear on how the government exercises its powers under the Building Canada Act.

Of the 18 projects the office supports, six have reached final investment decision and construction stage, while the government's official estimate puts the Pacific Link pipeline cost between $35.2 billion and $43.7 billion. Scotiabank has separately estimated that pipeline at $65.6 billion, and the office has not said which figure it will use going forward.

The players

Dominic LeBlanc

Canada's Minister of Internal Trade, who argued that the names of private sector companies with Major Projects Office employees should not be released.

Dawn Farrell

CEO of the Major Projects Office, who declined to provide names or company names of privately seconded employees to the committee.

The details

The joint parliamentary committee is examining how the government uses its powers under the Building Canada Act, enacted last year. LeBlanc said secondees step up to serve, while officials noted that all staff remain bound by Treasury Board guidelines, including post-employment restrictions, and that the secondment program dates to 1971.

1971: The secondment program is founded.
Last year: The Building Canada Act is enacted.
November 4, 2026: LeBlanc and Farrell testify before the committee in Ottawa.
Over the next two years: Six more projects are expected to reach final investment decision.

Market Landscape

The Building Canada Act gives federal officials expanded authority to advance large projects, and the Major Projects Office is the vehicle for that authority. Scrutiny of who staffs the office now sits alongside the broader debate over how much discretion the act confers on Ottawa.

Because the Major Projects Office is shaping projects that represent 200,000 jobs and over $190 billion in investment, the identity of the firms supplying its staff affects public confidence in how those projects are approved. Canadians tracking large infrastructure, including energy and pipeline work, can follow the committee's findings for what they reveal about oversight.

The takeaway

Transparency about who advises and staffs major federal projects is a practical check on how public money and approvals are handled. Readers can watch future committee disclosures to judge whether the promised figures on seconded employees and conflict screens are provided.

What happens next

Committee members are expected to receive LeBlanc's figures on seconded private sector employees and conflict-of-interest screens, and six of the 18 projects are projected to reach construction in the next two years.