But it’s also a blueprint for doing government differently.
Carney hasn’t said “public-service reform” out loud, but the bill’s demands make it unavoidable. He’s not just focused on what gets done — but on how the machinery needs to work to get there. It makes execution non-negotiable.
Carney said Canada used to build big — the St. Lawrence Seaway, Expo 67. It used to build fast. Now, he said, we’re bogged down by “arduous approvals” and sequential reviews.
“For too long, when federal agencies have examined a new project, their immediate question has been ‘why?’ With this bill, we will instead ask ourselves ‘how?’” he said.
That’s a signal.
He expects the public service to change how it works: less process, more results. Less caution, more action. Fewer barriers, more execution.
The bill also creates a Major Projects Office — a single federal point of contact to help priority projects through assessment and permitting.
It’s a tall order: a major cultural shift from administration to execution. From gatekeepers to doers. Public servants managed to do it during the pandemic, when rules loosened and they were galvanized by the mission to protect the health of Canadians.
But this time around it won’t be easy. As one long-time deputy minister put it, this is about a “client-focused approach to delivery” for a system built on managing risk and compliance.
“This legislation is a test for us to prove we can deliver. People are excited, but we’ll have to work really hard to do it,” said a senior bureaucrat not authorized to speak publicly.
“How do we streamline our processes to be more efficient? How do we actually think about the national interests of the country while recognizing environmental and Indigenous rights? That culture shift is a different way of thinking and focuses on execution.”
Here’s how the bill rewires execution:
Internal-trade reform. It’s more than a policy fix. Departments will have to work across mandates and jurisdictions and get out of their silos.
Faster project reviews. Decision timelines will be cut from five years to two, which demands faster decisions, less red tape, and more urgency.
One project, one review. Select projects will undergo a single assessment for federal approval, headed by one minister. It will eliminate duplication between federal and provincial processes and shift focus from compliance to outcomes.
Priority override. Projects deemed in the national interest will be fast-tracked. It’s a shift from compliance and box-ticking to enabling growth – and fast.
This won’t remake the culture of 360,000-strong public service, but it adds a layer of pressure. Projects not fast-tracked will slog through the usual approvals.
And don’t forget: none of this works without real provincial and Indigenous buy-in and collaboration. Public servants can only execute if the path is clear — and no federal bill can guarantee that.
SHAKEUP?
The PS, Carney-style
Behind the scenes, there’s no shortage of chatter about how Carney will put his stamp on the public service – and who he’ll trust to help do it.
Many expect a shakeup in the deputy minister ranks. They’ll be watching key portfolios tied to Carney’s core priorities: finance, infrastructure, NRCan and any others “where he’ll want to make sure the right people are in those jobs,” says one senior bureaucrat.
Insiders say he could be just as unsparing in shaping the public service as he was in selecting his cabinet, replacing ministers he had named just weeks earlier.
Right now, continuity matters. With a new cabinet settling in and a packed calendar that includes the June G7 summit and NATO meetings, most expect no big moves until summer.
The Committee of Senior Officials (COSO) typically has its annual appraisals of deputy ministers’ performance in June. That appraisal goes to Carney for signoff on bonuses and performance pay.
BRIEFINGS
Ready or not, Carney demands answers
Word has spread fast that Carney doesn’t suffer weak briefings. He’s known to cut them short when officials can’t answer his questions — and to call people out when they’re unprepared.
The stories get retold, maybe reshaped — it is Ottawa, after all — but the message has landed: come ready or don’t come at all.
Everyone’s heard a version: Carney meets with a senior bureaucrat who can’t answer a question. He stops the briefing cold and in so many words tells them to come back when they know their file. Ouch.
The risk in that kind of exchange? Officials might start pulling their punches — and stop speaking truth to power.
Carney brings a “toughness,” as one senior bureaucrat told me. He expects the clerk and deputy ministers to know their files cold. No vague answers. No promises to follow up. He wants clear answers in the room. “He digs and digs,” said one official. “People will just have to adjust and be ready for that.”
