Saskatchewan Joins The Queue: Draft Cooperation Agreement Signals Next Steps Toward “One Project, One Review”

On October 5, 2026, the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada (“IAAC”) released a draft Co-operation Agreement between Saskatchewan and Canada on Environmental and Impact Assessment (the “Draft Saskatchewan Agreement”) for public comment.¹ The comment period runs until October 26, 2026. Canada has finalized co-operation agreements with eight provinces to date. If finalized, the Draft Saskatchewan Agreement would make Saskatchewan the ninth province to formalize a bilateral “one project, one review” arrangement with the federal government. Quebec’s own draft agreement with Canada has also closed for public comment and remains under review.²

Background

Major projects in Canada frequently trigger assessment obligations at both the federal and provincial level. For years, industry, Indigenous groups and provinces flagged the resulting duplication, delay, and uncertainty as investment and schedule barriers. The Supreme Court of Canada’s 2023 reference opinion³ on the Impact Assessment Act