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ARTICLE · 13 NOVEMBER 2026

Cold Lake First Nation Challenges The Pacific Link Pipeline, Canada’s First National Interest Project

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Canada has designated the Pacific Link Pipeline as its first national interest project under the Building Canada Act, a move that effectively deems the 1,250-kilometer crude oil pipeline approved and streamlines its regulatory process. However, Cold Lake First Nation has launched a legal challenge, arguing that Canada failed to fulfill its duty to consult with Indigenous communities before making this unprecedented designation.

CanadaGovernment, Public Sector
Amyn F. Lalji
Amyn F. Lalji
Avram Heisler
Avram Heisler
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On October 1, 2026, through Order in Council 2026-0925, Canada designated the Pacific Link Pipeline as a national interest project to be listed at Schedule 1 to the Building Canada Act (BCA). This designation is Canada’s first use of the BCA’s strongest measures, intended to speed up approval processes for major infrastructure projects.

What does a national interest project designation do?

The BCA was enacted by Parliament on June 26, 2025, to encourage the expedited development of major, national-level infrastructure projects by simplifying the regulatory process for securing Federal authorizations required to complete those projects.

Section 5(1) of the BCA allows Canada to designate a project a national interest project. Once a project is designated a national interest project, under section 7(1) of the BCA, Canada must issue a document deemed to be each Federal authorization that would have been required in order to construct and operate the project.

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