Private Companies Lend 17 Employees to Federal Major Projects Office

Corporate Ties to Federal Permitting

“I think there’s a danger in saying that company X provided employee Y,” Internal Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc told a parliamentary committee.

That defense came as a newly released government document revealed that private sector companies have lent 17 employees to the federal Major Projects Office (MPO), an agency created by Prime Minister Mark Carney to fast-track permitting for developments deemed in the national interest.

The Toronto Star first reported the news. Prime Minister Mark Carney has stated the office aims to finalize conditions by Sept. 1, 2027, to “get shovels in the ground” on projects, including an oil pipeline to the southern coast of British Columbia.

The Scope of Private Secondments

The MPO is currently staffed by a mix of public and private expertise. According to a document provided to the House environment committee and obtained by CBC News, the seconded staff remain on their private employers’ payrolls, with those companies covering 100 per cent of salaries and benefits. The list includes 41 seconded employees in total, with private-sector contributions spanning banking, rail, and energy.

Financial institutions, including Scotiabank, the Bank of Montreal, and the Royal Bank of Canada, have contributed four employees. The energy sector is similarly represented, with staff drawn from TC Energy, TransAlta, and the Pembina Pipeline Corporation—the latter of which holds a 10 per cent stake in the West Coast oil pipeline project.

Other contributors include CN Rail, CPKC, and the law firm Torys. Additional companies lending staff include BHP Canada, Ledcor, PricewaterhouseCoopers, and QSI Finance Canada. No company has lent more than two employees to the office.

Public Sector Integration

Beyond the private sector, the MPO has absorbed two dozen employees from public institutions. Provincial and territorial governments have also sent representatives, including four staffers from the Government of Yukon and one each from British Columbia and the Northwest Territories.

Debating Conflict of Interest

While employee secondments are a long-standing practice in government, the specific involvement of private staff has triggered sharp scrutiny from Conservative and Bloc Québécois MPs. Lawmakers questioned the arrangement during a committee hearing last week, citing potential conflicts of interest. The federal government released the full list of 41 seconded employees on Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2026, after initially balking at making the information public.

MPO CEO Dawn Farrell and Minister LeBlanc mounted a defense, insisting that all seconded staff must adhere to government conflict of interest rules. They maintained that no individual would be involved in reviewing a project in which their home company holds an interest.

When pressed by Conservative MPs to disclose the specific companies involved, LeBlanc resisted, warning against “artificial, fabricated gotcha moment.” He argued that the employees were simply professionals stepping up to serve the country, adding, “I think we’ve got to be careful not to cast aspersions on either the companies or the individuals.”

Government Defense of Practices

Officials from the MPO have noted that the federal government has utilized an interchange program since the 1970s to integrate private-sector expertise. They maintain that these arrangements are vetted by human resources within the Privy Council Office. During question period on Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2026, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Tim Hodgson addressed scrutiny regarding the government’s approach to project reviews.

Despite these assurances, opposition members continue to question the transparency of the hiring process, with LeBlanc telling the committee, “These are people who work for these institutions who decide to step up and serve their country and help build their country.”