Prime minister, N.B. premier tease major project announcement in the province

FREDERICTON — Prime Minister Mark Carney and New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt teased federal support for a major project in the province set to be announced later this week.

The pair met Monday morning in Holt’s downtown Fredericton office, before Carney toured the warehouse of a pre-fabricated home manufacturing company where he held a news conference to highlight Ottawa’s buy-Canadian policy.

During a separate news conference in the afternoon, Holt said during their meeting she advocated for support for mining projects, modular housing, upgrades on the Port of Saint John and Port of Belledune, and the Eastern Energy Partnership, which could link energy systems across Atlantic Canada and beyond.

“We packed a lot into the time together,” Holt said of the meeting.

New Brunswick projects have so far not been chosen by Ottawa as projects of national interest, which could give the projects special treatment such as exempting them from certain environmental laws.

But Carney said New Brunswick will soon be included in the list — even though neither he nor Holt would give details before Thursday’s scheduled announcement.

“We’ve had a number of conversations with the province, I’ve had number of conversations with the premier about major projects here that meet the criteria. They strengthen Canada’s economy, they diversify our economy, they’re built with Indigenous partners, they’re consistent with the climate goals, and they have a real economic return,” Carney said Monday afternoon.

“And so you would expect to see some of those in the announcement later this week,” he continued.

Holt said the project will be one that she has been advocating for, but declined to provide specifics.

She said this morning’s meeting was productive, and she’s feeling optimistic about the potential support for New Brunswick in Carney’s first budget.

“There’s still some things that we’d like to see translate from words on a budget page to actual investments in community, to make a difference for New Brunswickers here, but I think there’s lots that we can build on and pull from in this budget,” Holt said.

Carney spent his afternoon at Maple Leaf Homes in Fredericton, where he toured the modular home-building warehouse and spoke with staff.

The prime minister highlighted Ottawa’s buy-Canadian policy, which will mean federal contracts would go to Canadian firms “by default,” instead of the existing “best efforts approach.”

“We will build Canadian by becoming our own best customer,” Carney said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 10, 2025.