Port of Vancouver expansion project referred to Canada’s Major Projects Office

The expansion project at the Port of Vancouver, Canada’s largest port, has been referred to the federal government’s Major Projects Office.

“Around the world, supply chains are evolving, trade patterns are shifting, and competition for investment is intensifying,” Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon said in Delta on Thursday morning.

“Now, Canada must and will respond by strengthening the infrastructure that connects our businesses to global markets, supports good jobs, and grows the economy. And that means investing in modern trade corridors that move goods efficiently and diversify Canada’s trade.”

MacKinnon said that the Port of Vancouver facilitates $350 billion in trade annually with 170 countries and they want to double its trade with 169 of them.

“It is Canada’s gateway to the Indo-Pacific region, connecting Canadian businesses to fast-growing markets across Asia and the Indian subcontinent,” he added.

“In 2025, the port handled a record 170 million metric tons of cargo, facilitating one in every three dollars of Canada’s non-U.S. trade and 40 per cent of our trade in goods beyond North America.

“At a time when Canada is diversifying trade and strengthening its economic security, this gateway has never been more important.”

The Major Projects Office is part of Prime Minister Mark Carney’s plan to get big, national projects fast-tracked through the approval process.

“We are moving at a speed not seen in generations to build ports, railways, energy grids — the major projects that will unlock Canada’s full economic potential and build Canada strong,” Carney posted on social media Friday.

The Liberal government rushed Bill C-5 through Parliament in June, creating a framework for a new approvals process for large-scale projects the government deems to be in the national interest and that could help grow the economy — including ports, energy and road infrastructure.

MacKinnon said that the Port of Vancouver expansion will include a three-berth container terminal that will increase the port’s annual container capacity by almost 2.4 million, which represents about 15 per cent of what Canada’s total container handling capacity will be.

“It supports Canada’s goal of doubling exports to non-U.S. markets by 2035,” he said.

“And just like the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway, the gateway strategy represents the kind of nation-building infrastructure that will diversify trade and strengthen our economy for decades to come.”

MacKinnon added that the port expansion will unlock more than $100 billion in annual trade capacity for Canada, while contributing more than three billion dollars to Canada’s GDP each year.