The federal government has triggered the formal process of turning the NWT’s proposed Mackenzie Valley Highway into one of its first “projects of national interest.”
In a Friday news release, internal trade minister Dominic LeBlanc said a notice in the Canada Gazette on Saturday will open a required comment period before the highway can be designated as in the national interest.
That designation means some federal regulatory approvals will be fast-tracked, though the NWT has repeatedly stated that its own environmental assessment process will not be affected.
It also has symbolic meaning, enshrining Ottawa’s backing of the vast 800-km highway – from Wrigley in the Dehcho to Inuvik in the Beaufort Delta – after decades of little to no federal interest.
LeBlanc tied the highway’s development to the ongoing trade dispute with the United States.
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“As the United States fundamentally transforms its commercial relationships and imposes new tariffs on Canadian goods, we are focusing on what we can control: diversifying our trading relationships and building strength at home,” he stated.
“Major projects like the Mackenzie Valley Highway and Roberts Bank Terminal 2” – a marine container terminal project in Delta, BC, that is also being advanced – “will help position Canada for long-term success.”
The minister said the notice demonstrated a “commitment to transparency and meaningful consultation as we advance nation-building infrastructure projects that connect our businesses with global markets and make Canada more resilient and self-reliant.”
You can email this address before October 1, 2026 to have your comments considered by the government as it decides whether to list the highway.
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Of note, the Canada Gazette notice for the Mackenzie Valley Highway states the project would include a new bridge over the Liard and Mackenzie rivers near Fort Simpson. Currently, those rivers can be crossed only by ferry or winter road.
Premier RJ Simpson has said he expects the entire highway to be ready in five years.
Earlier this week, Sahtu MLA Danny McNeely – who helped organize a conference in Norman Wells this month about the highway – said he remains concerned that the NWT’s regulatory processes can be more efficient.
Only once an environmental assessment concludes can most of the highway be built.
McNeely said extensions requested by the territorial government to produce a key document, known as a developer’s assessment report, risk delaying construction.
“I’m really not sure if the remaining term of this government is going to see any shovels in the ground in that area, unless a miracle happens,” said McNeely. The next territorial election is in the fall of 2027.
“I really hope our leaders can prove me wrong by having this environmental assessment concluded.”
The review board in charge of the environmental assessment has said it recognizes the “strong public interest” in the Mackenzie Valley Highway being built and is trying to deliver a “coordinated, timely and efficient” process.
